Little Wolf
by wolfshalom
Summary: Khan Noonien Singh escapes cryosleep after his crimes against Star Fleet and crashes onto a planet. He finds an unlikely ally in a small girl who unknowingly begins to repair parts of Khan's irreparably broken heart. There is fluff. Rated T for safety. ADMIRAL MARCUS IS ALIVE FOR THIS STORY.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. I'm once again playing around in the Star Trek Universe. Reviews are always welcome.**

**Chapter 1**

Life had a habit of changing at the most inopportune of times. It loved to watch Khan as he struggled to overcome the obstacles it threw at him, but, right now, everything was going well. Khan had been re-awakened from his slumber, and his sleek ship was cutting sharply through the vast blackness of space and far away from Starfleet. Away from the Admiral Marcus.

All was calm.

Peaceful.

...And then the alarms began to wail. The cockpit was drenched in red as his ship got caught in the gravity of a nearby planet. Nothing he did helped him wriggle free of destiny's suffocating grasp. Khan could only snarl as the gravity slammed his ship cruelly into the ground. The ship screamed and groaned in agony as its metal wings were twisted and broken beyond repair by the hard rocks. Growling, Khan kiced out a window and ventured outside and into the great unknown. His rucksack sat lightly on his back. Narrowing his icy blue eyes, he began to walk towards a large beacon of light: a town.

Hopefully, he'd be able to find a new ship and once again begin his search for his beloved family.

**…**

No one speaks English…or any other Earth language for that matter. People narrow their eyes in confusion at Khan's strange languages and bizarre clothes as he passes, but he pays them no heed. There are no ships here—no electricity. These people are no more than primitive savages, their beacon of light nothing more than a bonfire.

Now what?

A small girl no older than five years of age glances at him and smirks at him playfully. Khan ignores her. What could a child possibly do for him? A man suddenly grabs the girl by the arm and starts to scream in her face. He pokes her roughly in the chest and Khan watches as spit flies into her face. The girl flinches, clenches her jaw, and glares back at the men. Despite her brave front, Khan can easily see the telltale traces of fear in her posture.

But, there was nothing he could-or would-do to help. It would only waste his time; besides, as far as he knew, the child deserved the harsh scolding. Khan shifts his bag a little higher up on his shoulders and ventures into the forest. Maybe there was another village nearby—one with ships to help him get off of this Godforsaken rock.

**…**

He walks for hours. The sun will set soon, ushering in the darkness of night. Khan sighs and rests against a tree. His eyes narrow as he takes in his surroundings: trees, trees, and more trees. By now, he is definitely lost. He'd be lucky to make it make to the village he was in earlier.

"You're not very smart—are you?"

Khan's head snaps towards the unfamiliar voice. Finally, someone who spoke English! But…where were they? The voice was young, female…where is she hiding?

"And how do you suppose that?" He asks calmly and then sees the girl—the same child from the village—step out from behind some bushes and she points calmly to the ground by his feet.

"You're standing in quicksand, genius."

Glancing down in disbelief, his icy blue eyes widen in surprise: he is sinking.

Oh.

"Hold on—I've got you." She pulls a rope out from behind some bushes behind her and throws one end over a branch above Khan's head and fastens the other tightly around the trunks of a nearby tree. "You'll have to climb, you know. You're too big for me to pull."

"I assumed as much." He fights off the urge to roll his eyes at the kid. Moments later, he's free and towering over her. "I'm looking for a place with ships."

"What kind?" She asks curiously.

"The kind that flies."

"You crashed the last ship you flew—are you sure getting another one is a good idea?" Her eyebrows turn downward in disapproval.

He stares at her coldly but she continues to look at him with innocent curiosity. It was sickening.

"Is there somewhere nearby where I can acquire one?" He ignores her previous question and she looks at him with her pale, pale blue eyes.

"Yep: Riverweed. I am heading that way now."

"How far is it?" Khan asks.

"It changes depending on the weather and stuff."

"I'm coming with you."

"I figured. If I left you to your own devices, you'd wind up killing yourself."

"I could have freed myself." Khan growls. He huffed irritably.

"Right…of course you could have..." She shifts uncomfortably: she clearly doesn't believe him. Changing the subject before this strange man strangles her seems like the best option. "Well, we'll travel by day and rest by night. Come on, then." She shakes her head. "So," She says once they are settled in a cave. "What should I call you?"

"John." He looks away from her and stares into the darkness.

"I'm Little Wolf." She says and his eyebrows furrow: that was a weird name.

**…**

He doesn't know when he falls asleep, but what he does know is that when he wakes up, "Little Wolf" was gone and so were her belongings. Groaning in frustration, he eases himself to a sitting position and glares at the mouth of the cave.

"What are you pouting for?" Little Wolf appears in the entrance and throws a small bag at him. "Here, catch."

"What is this?" He catches the small bag warily but doesn't open it. It's loose and lumpy. If he were to close his fist, whatever was inside would bleed out onto his hand.

"Open it and find out." She leans casually back against the wall and watches him with wolfish eyes…no pun intended.

"And if I don't?" He cocks his head to the side and expects her to throw a temper tantrum. Surprisingly, she doesn't. She merely shrugs and yawns.

"You'll be sorry," she answers calmly.

Then, she leaves. Sighing, he glances inside the small bag: berries. She had given him berries. Had he not played along, he would have missed breakfast and "been sorry". Still, that didn't mean that these things weren't poisonous, but he concluded that it was very unlikely that a small child would desire to see him dead and began to eat while walking after her with his bag slung over his shoulder.

She waits for him by a boulder. Grinning, she waves at him and then walks into the forest. Khan didn't understand why she seemed so happy to see him. Personally, he didn't care about the girl; she was simply a means to an end. Once he got his new ship, she would be worthless to him…but still, it was…nice to see someone who didn't want to see him or his family dead.

Little Wolf pauses long enough for Khan to draw up beside her and then begins to tell him all about the history of the land and people; Khan tunes her out. After a while, she looks up at him and stops speaking. Their blue eyes meet and she frowns.

"Something wrong?" Khan asks inquisitively.

"You're weird." She says loudly.

Then she is jogging ahead of him and darting onto a fallen log that provides a bridge across a large crater in the ground (a dried up pond, maybe?). For hours after that, they walk in silence. Sometimes, they travel beside each other or with Little Wolf running ahead for a while before impatiently waiting for Khan to catch up.

"Where is your family?" Khan asks for a while. Her smile, which had not wavered all day, now vanished completely. Saying nothing, she shrugs her tiny shoulder.

"Gone." She says finally. Khan nods to himself:_ they had probably died from disease or starvation. _"Where is yours?" She asks.

"Gone." He echoes her word back at her in response.

It's quiet for a long moment.

"Do you miss them?" Little Wolf stares at him. An emotion-Sadness? Pity?-flickers in her pale blue eyes.

"We should keep moving." Khan changes the subject deftly. Little Wolf stares at him a moment more before running on ahead. She does not return again that day to walk beside him.

Khan does not care.

**…**

That night, he makes the fire in their new cave home while Little Wolf gathers food for their dinner. When she returns, she makes vegetable soup. They eat in silence. Small bowls of berries sit around the pot. Khan reaches to grab one—a bright red one—and Little Wolf sharply whacks his offending hand with the spoon she had used for cooking.

"Bad, John." She reprimands

Frowning, he reaches for a different one. Little Wolf sighs, grabs all three bowls and throws their contents outside the cave into a small trickling stream.

"Those are poisonous, stupid." She explains.

"You ate some." Khan retorts.

"I'm immune." Is her only response. Khan glares at her for a while before leaning back against the cool cave wall and allowing his eyes to drift closed. This was going to be a long journey.

Somewhere out there, Khan was sure Life was once again breathless with its mocking laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The fire growls and snarls as Khan feeds it more wood. Little Wolf watches him and the flames warily as she sits in the mouth of the cave—as far away from the fire as possible. When Khan moves away from the fire to take up his place on the opposite of the cave, she looks up at the dark night sky to stare up at the flickering stars.

It had has been three days and they still aren't where Khan needs to be. Their feet had devoured mile after mile of land during the day but he still wasn't any closer to saving his family from Marcus's grasp.

"How old are you?" Khan asks.

"Five." He had been right. "How old are you, do you reckon?" she asks him.

"It doesn't matter."

"Is it because you're so old, you can't count that high, John?" She asks. Khan glares at her but sees no hint of mockery written on her face.

"No." Khan rolls his eyes at her. She looks back outside, this time at the dark, unwelcoming forest. Worry flickers across her features.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head and stares at her feet. She was a very bad liar—most children were. "Relax. It's just a supply ship."

"What is?"

A deafening roar fills the cave and Khan can feel every vibration of the ship's mechanical heart as it screams over them. Little Wolf doesn't so much as flinch. She gives him an amused grin before leaning back into the wall of the cave and closing her eyes. Minutes later, she's asleep. How did she know about that ship…forget it. It doesn't matter.

**…**

The sun glares down at them and tries its best to scald the two travelers into submission with its golden, knife-like fingers. Little Wolf walks slowly beside Khan and steals glances at him when she thinks he isn't looking, but he still notices her curious glances. Suddenly, she smirks and kicks him sharply in the ankle before racing ahead quickly.

"Come on! Come! Hurry!" She yells, giving him no choice but to follow. Khan shakes his head before running after her. _What was it this time? A "wabbit"? A "wittle baby bird"?_

"What is it?" Khan calls after her as he quickens her pace. How can someone so tiny run so fast?

"It's Zevi, John! Look! Look! It's Zevi!" She practically bounces up and down with excitement as she runs.

_What in the world was a "Zevi"?_ Khan wondered as he raced after her.

Little Wolf slides down a steep hill, throwing up huge clouds of brown dust. Her arms pinwheel wildly as she fights against gravity to stay upright. It doesn't work. Soon, she's tilting forward and rolling (literally) head over heels in the dirt. She comes to a stop at the base of the hill and coughs some of the dirt from her lungs. Her face and clothes are painted red with dirt but she takes no notice as she scrambles (ungracefully) back to her feet and throws her arms around a medium sized dog with short brown and white hair. It's long paintbrush tail wags happily and it whines in greeting before licking her nose.

"Where've you been?" She asks the animal. "I thought you've done been eaten!" Internally Khan winces at her poor grammar before rolling his eyes. All this excitement over some dog? Really?

"This is Zevi." She says when she gets back to her feet. "Zevi, this is John." She puts her hand on the side of her face in a (failed) effort to hide her next words from Khan: "John's kinda weird, but don't worry. I think he's housetrained. Well, maybe..."

Khan sighs. All this for some stupid ship? Had his family's lives not been in danger, there'd be one less kid in the world.

**…**

"How far will away is this village of yours?" Khan asks.

"What, Riverweed?" She glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes."

"A few more weeks if the sky doesn't get mad."

Khan nods. As long as it didn't storm, they'd be alright. He would have preferred they be a few minutes or hours away…but he can be patient. The extra time will give him an opportunity to plan out his next move once he gets off of this planet.

**…**

"Why was that man yelling at you?" Khan asks remembering the man who screamed and spit in the kid's face.

"What man?" She hops on top of a rock, jumps off, and skips ahead.

"The one from the village." Khan says and she freezes instantly before looking at Khan over her shoulder.

"He doesn't like me." She says simply but Khan can tell that she's hiding something.

"Why?" He prods.

"He's a jerk." She says and he smirks a little. She smirks back crookedly.

"Why didn't you say anything or cry out for help? You could have been injured."

"It's not allowed. I would have gotten hurt, John. It's in the rules."

"What rules?"

"_The_ rules."

"Could you be any more cryptic?" Khan asks sarcastically and Little Wolf blinks at him blankly.

"I don't speak that much English—what's 'cryptic' mean?"

"Vague."

"Oh." They walk on. "What's 'vague' mean?"

Khan sighs. Someone please just kill him now.

"Why aren't you allowed to speak?"

"Because, I did something bad." She doesn't look at him. Khan's eyebrows twitch downward. What could she have possibly done to forbid her to speak in public?

"What was it?"

"It doesn't mattee."

He thinks for a moment before speaking: "What happens if you talk in public?"

"I get dead." She says softly and shock jolts up Khan's spine.

_What kind of a planet was this?!_

**…**

It's now day 5 of their never ending trek through mystery fricken forest. Little Wolf skillfully leads him around mine fields, past dangerous ravines, and away from more quicksand.

But she never. Stops. Talking. Not even once. With every step they take, another story of random fact flies out of her mouth like a payload of raindrops falling from a cloud.

"There isn't another cave for a while now; so, we'll have to take shelter at Sharp Quill's house. I hope you have good reflexes. Oh! And don't make her mad. She's the only one of The People besides my mother who is violent. Sharp Quill will beat you with her stick if you make her mad, so be good. And a frost is coming. We can't move when there's frost or snow on the ground. It makes it too hard to see the bombs in the ground. And…" Little Wolf rambles on. And on.

And on.

Would it be morally wrong if he just snapped her neck and found his own way there...?

...

They reach a clearing. By now, Khan is half tempted to strangle the kid until she loses unconsciousness if only to enjoy a few moments of sweet, sweet silence.

"Where have you been?" An elderly woman storms out of a large hut and glowers at Little Wolf. Little Wolf grins sheepishly and shrugs in response.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Earth where I fought 'em off and barely escaped with my life?"

"No." The old woman narrows her eyes at Little Wolf.

"Aw, but I thought you loved my stories." The girl jokes and the woman's gaze softens a little.

"Who's your friend? Hm? Another stray?" The woman looks Khan over with cold brown eyes.

"No, he's another idiot tourist." Little Wolf said quickly and Khan glowered at her; she moved away from him. "He crashed and blowed up his airship so he needs to get a new one. His name is John. He only speaks English."

"Right." The woman sighs and looks heavenwards as if asking for divine help. "Well, I suppose you two need a place to stay. There's food on the table, but if you want to eat my food, you better earn your keep. I got wood that needs choppin' and plates that require washin'. Little Wolf, you take the dishes; 'John', the wood's all yours. Have at it." She disappears outside.

"Wow." Little Wolf whistles under her breath before looking up at Khan and tugging on his pant leg. He looks down at her questioningly. "She didn't hit you with her stick—I think she likes you, which is weird."

"Why?" He raises an eyebrow. "Because I'm an 'idiot tourist'?"

"No, because she hits most everyone with that walkin' stick. Be careful. She's probably just waiting to hit you—I can feel it. Just don't be bad or too weird and you might be okay…maybe."

"How fortunate I am to have you to protect me. Really." Khan says sarcastically. The sarcasm is lost on her.

"You're welcome, John. Have fun!" She yells over her shoulder as she rushes inside to begin her assigned job before Sharp Quill can hit her with her walking cane. The old woman watches Khan suspiciously from a small window in the kitchen. Khan waves at her just to iritate the old lady and her eyes narrow at him coldly. He bites back the desire to laugh.

**…**

That night, Khan sleeps on an old and torn up couch. The hut, it had turned out, was actually two levels. The top level and a bottom level hidden by a trap door. Right now, Khan was below the surface of the living room and watching as spiders as large as his outstretched palm scittered across the dark clay walls by his face.

Little Wolf sleeps in an easy chair a few feet away from him. She's curled into a ball, her chest rising and falling gently as she slumbers. Her dog, Zevi, sleeps on the ground in front of her. Every now and then, he'll jerk himself awake, look at Khan with his honey colored eyes, and wag his tail before slipping back off into unconsciousness.

Khan stretches and sighs contently. He had missed the peace that silence brought…but Little Wolf and all her antics were beginning to grow on him. She was so trusting; so innocent. She didn't see a monster when she looked at him or cower away with fear. Her body didn't quiver with barely held back rage like Kirk as he had recounted all his loved ones that had perished due to his actions…

To Little Wolf, he wasn't an Augment or a murderer.

He was just a man.

How strange was that?

Khan falls asleep and his snoring fills the room, jerking both the girl and Zevi awake. Little Wolf glares at Khan for a moment before rustling quietly through her bag and pulling out a roll of duct tape. She cuts off a strip and walks soundlessly towards the couch. Gently, she smooths the tape over Khan's mouth. His hand swings upwards instantly and captures her offending arm. Icy blue eyes slice into her angrily but she doesn't flinch under his irritated gaze.

"You breathe too loud." She says with a yawn and he releases her with an irritated growl. "Are you sick?" She cocks her head to the side.

"No." He glares at her as he tears the tape off of his mouth. An hour later, they're both asleep in their own respective areas.

This time, he doesn't snore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It begins to snow. Little Wolf sits in the doorway and watches the frozen droplets of water cover the ground and she frowns. Khan smirks at the child in amusement. He should be the one who's upset about them not continuing in their travels to Riverweed, not her.

"Oh, stop pouting!" Sharp Quill hits her sharply in the side with her cane. The girl yelps in surprise and springs away. "Make yourself useful and gather some wood—we're going to need it. Winter came early."

"What was your first clue? The radical drop in temperature or the snow?" Khan asks, feigning innocence.

The old woman turns to glare coldly at him before walking into the kitchen. It is humorous to Khan to that the woman thinks she could intimidate him. Had she known who he truly was, the old woman would be trembling with fear.

His smirk grows wider.

**...**

Three young children wrapped tightly in rags walk down the dirt road towards the hut and Little Wolf suddenly jumps to her feet and waves excitedly at the newcomers.

"Friends of yours?" Khan purrs under his breath. Little Wolf beams up at him.

"Yup. That there is Hawk, Fawn, and Beaver. They are the same as me: they are The People, too."

"What people?"

"_My_ People. _The_ People. That's our name. We used to live in The Village but we don't now."

"Why?" Khan sits down on a chair beside her and yawns.

He hadn't slept so well last night since he had to be on the lookout for deranged children with duct tape and cantankerous old women who'd desire revenge.

"It broke and now it's all gone." Little Wolf yawns too.

"Like your family?" Khan asks softly.

"You're mean. I don't like you anymore, John. Go away." She turns away from him and sticks her nose high in the air.

Her eyes are closed and her arms are wrapped over her chest in irritation. Her anger was kind of cute in a strange way. An Augment would have simply punched him the throat for offending them. Khan, in turn, would have broken their arm and made them beg for mercy.

This childish pouting was...strange to say the least.

"I'll give you a cookie." He offers.

"What kind?" She looks at him carefully with narrowed, suspicious eyes

"Chocolate chip." Khan raises an eyebrow.

Who knew the exchange of a snack could be so serious and demanding? He felt like if he answered wrong, no matter how unlikely it was, a sniper would cut him down where he sat.

Her nose wrinkles adorably in consideration. Surprisingly, the typically hyper child stares into his eyes for a full minute without fidgeting or running off to complete some mundane task: "Okay."

Khan hands her the treat he had swiped (unnoticed) from the kitchen earlier. When she thinks he isn't looking, she breaks it into half and eats the smaller of the two pieces before handing Khan the larger one. His icy heart melts a little at the small gesture of kindness.

"Sorry we can't get to Riverweed. It's too dangerous to travel that way when there's snow on the ground. There are bombs in the ground that we can't see if they're covered by the snow."

"It's fine." It didn't matter to him _when_ he saved his people so long as the deed was successfully completed.

For a brief moment, he considered the idea of bringing the girl along but quickly dismissed the idea. She was too young and the task far too dangerous. It didn't matter if she was a good companion or not: she'd only slow him down and jeopardize his mission…and the lives his family.

The children approach and Little Wolf talks to them in their native language which, infuriatingly, Khan doesn't understand:

_'Hello!'_ Little Wolf says excitedly.

_'You're back!'_ A boy with dark brown hair and pine green eyes—Hawk—wraps her into a hug. Little Wolf's cheeks turn red and she smiles widely.

_'I've missed you! How was your journey? Does the deer run well in the West? What of the invaders? Are they still out there?'_ Little Wolf says quickly.

_'The Invaders are getting worse. They just keep coming. Soon, every village will be full of them. This winter is early. Do you think they somehow caused it?' _A girl-Fawn-asked.

_'I don't think so.' _Little Wolf frowns.

_'Who is this?' Hawk lo_oks at Khan warily

_'This is John.'_ Little Wolf nods to Khan.

_'Is he safe? Is he one of them?' _Hawk continues to eye Khan. Khan glares at him in response.

_'No. He's fine—really. He's just like a baby. He doesn't know much anything.'_ Little Wolf shrugs.

_'Why is he here?' Fawn frowned._

_'His ship crashed so I'm taking him to Riverweed to get a new one.' _

_'They'll kill you! It's too dangerous, Little Wolf!'_ Hawk yells.

_'But I have to. I made a promise and The People never go back on their word. You know that. I've got to keep it, but don't worry: I'll be careful. I promise.'_ She smiles a little and Hawk sighs.

_'Okay.'_

One by one, they introduce themselves to John in broken English: a small girl with long, curly blond hair and kind brown eyes (Fawn), a one year old baby with blond hair and freckles (Beaver), and the last one: Hawk. He was a month or so older than Little Wolf and had dark brown hair, light olive skin, and pine green eyes. Sharp Quill comes by and ushers them in and coaxes warm soup into their shivering little bodies.

Khan looks at Little Wolf expecting her to be happy to have other children to play with. Instead, she looks troubled and her eyes fly to the trees beyond the hut as if looking for unseen enemies. Her eyebrows turn down in concentration as she searches for her invisible foes.

The children are polite towards Khan but warily keep their distance from him as if he were a wild animal ready to lunge for the life pumping vein in hidden beneath the delicate skin of their throats. Well...the analogy wasn't completely incorrect.

"What's wrong?" Khan looks at Little Wolf and she shrugs.

"The Invaders."

"Where?" Khan looks outside and scans the nearby area. His advanced senses reach out to comb through the trees and foliage but he finds nothing to worry about.

"They're everywhere, John. There's more of them now."

"Are they the ones who broke your village and took your family from you?" Khan asks and he receives a tearful glare from the girl: yes.

"I need to gather wood." She stands quickly and rushes out into the cold with only her thin black jacket to protect her from the howling wind and the freezing snow. Fawn, dressed no warmer, goes with her.

**…**

He is sleeping in the living room. His back sinks into the soft easy chair near the window, and the roaring flames in the fireplace send comforting waves of heat across his chilled skin. Khan can still feel the ghost of the ax in his hand from chopping wood block after wood block all those hours ago.

"John! John! John! JohnJohnJohnJohnJohn! It's Little Wolf! He's hurting Little Wolf!" Fawn shakes his shoulder urgently. Hysteric tears stream from her fearful brown eyes. Khan is on his feet in a moment; his previous exhaustion suddenly forgotten.

He follows the small girl's footprints in the snow and leaves Fawn sobbing inside the hut, with the other children and Sharp Quill to comfort her as he seeks out his young friend.

**…**

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" A loud thud. "You pathetic little abomination! You should have been destroyed with the rest of your kind!"

Khan arrives in the clearing just in time to see a man, with his hand clasped tightly around Little Wolf's throat, throw her to the ground. She gasps for air and stares up her enemy fearfully.

"You don't deserve to live!" He screeches as he descends on the small girl.

His boot crashes into her skull and sends her flying backwards into the frosted mud of the partially frozen river bank. Little Wolf shivers from cold and terror, but she doesn't cower away as the man advances. For a moment, the coward fumbles with the waistband of his pants before pulling out a gun. The ancient weapon glitters in the sunlight as he points it at the small girl. Time slows down for Khan when he suddenly rushes towards the man.

His opponent hears him coming and turns to meet Khan. A frenzy of burning bullets flies towards the enraged Augment but none of the panicked shots hit their intended target. Little Wolf tries to stand and scramble away but the man kicks her savagely in the stomach and she falls backwards.

Khan snaps the man's neck just as Little Wolf's head vanishes beneath the thin sheet of ice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He sheds his coat, shoes, and shirt before he plunges into the river and gasps at the artic sting. It was like being put in cryostatis all over again: the shortness of breath, the needles of frozen, liquid pain stabbing at his skin, the tightness of his chest. He bellows out Little Wolf's name while his hands frantically churn the water.

He looks in vain for her head to appear on the surface. Khan waits for a sign or a signal—anything—to give away her location. Nothing. Not even as much as a scream or a choked, shuttering inhalation. Her head doesn't so much as break the water's black, opaque surface.

"LITTLE WOLF!" He bellows into the crisp air.

Something claws at his leg. Without even thinking, he dives downwards. His strong hands search out the source and grab ahold of fabric: her jacket. He roars back to the surface and drags her limp body with him. When he breaks the surface, he rushes wildly to the bank with Little Wolf thrown over his shoulder like a rag doll.

Within minutes, he has a fire going and the small child is gasping for air. He wraps her tightly in his jacket and positions her close to the life-giving flames. Violent tremors wrack her body and Khan shivers quietly next to her as he wills for his pants to dry. He slips his large socks onto her tiny feet and smirks a little when he sees the fabric swallow her tiny foot and stop just below her knee. Then he pulls his shirt back over his head and shrugs into the thick, dry fabric covering his torso.

An hour later, after kicking the idiot, who wished harm upon his young companion, brutally into the river, he carries her, still wrapped up in his jacket, back towards Sharp Quills home. She still hasn't woken up.

**…**

Sharp Quill takes her into her room and, even though the child's clothes have long since dried, she redresses her and wraps her tightly in a thick, blue quilt. Khan then carries her downstairs and deposits her on the couch before lying down beside her. He stares up at the roof and listens to her breathe softly and reassures himself that each breath she takes will not be her last.

That night, he snores...but no one puts tape over his mouth.

He wished they did.

**…**

When he wakes up, Little Wolf is curled into his side. When he makes a move to get up, she wriggles closer and shivers from the cold. Sighing internally, he stays still and waits for her to wake up. She does, eventually. Her eyes open and focus on him groggily. Her small fist rubs her eyes and she yawns quietly while she takes in her surroundings. Suddenly, she sniffs and wrinkles her nose before looking Khan in the eyes.

"You smell bad, John. You need a bath. A_ long_ bath." She proclaims with another yawn.

Khan tickles her in retaliation before tears stream down her face and her voice turns a little hoarse. She runs up the stairs and Sharp Quill smiles for the first time since they arrived. Khan questions the elderly woman's motives.

"Feeling better, eh?" The old woman questions the child and Khan is instantly on guard.

"Yep." Little Wolf yawns again.

"Good. I need more wood. Have at it."

"But I…" Little Wolf starts and Sharp Quill gives her a look and the girl sighs. "Fine."

Khan smirks and follows her and Zevi as they brave the wind and trudge slowly into the forest. Khan chops the woods they bring him and follow them into the safety of the forest lest another foolish man decide to attack. After they've gathered a decent supply of timber, Sharp Quill sends them out in search of dinner.

They return with a young buck and a basket of berries—the last of the berries in the area until spring.

**…**

"So, where is your family, John?" Little Wolf glances at him from the corner of her eye as she sketches something Khan can't see in her notebook. Fawn watches her draw over her shoulder and smiles toothily: two of her front teeth are missing.

"See the stars?" Khan asks and Little Wolf frowns and glances out the window of the hut before giving him a solemn nod. "They're out there somewhere. Some bad people have them; I intend to save them."

"Oh." She goes back to her drawing.

"And yours?" Khan asks quietly.

"My little brother is at the orphanage in Riverweed. I don't know where my mom is. That's why I'm trying to find her: she went missing."

"And your father?" Khan arcs his back as his he stretches befor straightening his posture and watching the children with his sharp blue eyes.

"I never knowed him." They sit in silence for a moment.

"Do you miss your family, John?"

"With every cell of my being." He stares up at the unforgiving night sky and his brain whirls a thousand miles a minute as he tries to plan out how he'll save them but his mind keeps turning blank.

Fawn yawns and crawls into Khan's lap before falling asleep to the sound of his beating heart, her tiny head resting gently against his chest. Zevi gives a growl like yawn and watches them with sleepy, honey colored eyes.

"I think," Little Wolf yawns widely. "We should go to bed. Sharp Quill will get mad if we're up too late and hit you with her cane again."

Khan's fingers drift down to his ankle where (somehow) the bruise from earlier still resides. Little Wolf had found and brought home a heavily pregnant Great Dane and dubbed her "Roanoke". Sharp Quill had (somehow) blamed Khan for bringing—yet another—mouth to her home for her to feed. Before he fled into the stars, he was going to make that old woman pay.

Dearly.

**…**

"JohnJohnJohn!" Little Wolf shakes his shoulder and Khan's heart nearly stops from the look of alarm glittering in her eyes. "Wake up! Hurry!"

"What is it?" He's wide awake.

His sharp eyes quickly look over the room and his ears try to pick out any noises that shouldn't be there. Are they being attacked? Has Star Fleet found them?

"It's Roanoke! She's hurt, John! All her guts are falling out! We've got to hurry!"

Oh. He relaxes a little. All was fine; the dog was probably just going into labor. She must have just passed the first pup.

"John!" Little Wolf whines.

Khan sighs and walks towards the stairs. Little Wolf runs ahead of him and jumps up and down impatiently in the kitchen a few feet away from the new mother. Khan looks at the dog carefully. She had passed three pups so far. There seemed to be no complications.

He calmly instructs Little Wolf on what supplies to get and the girl rushes to do as she was told. Khan shows her how to break open the little sacs and stimulate breathing. Hours later, the delivery has finished and Roanoke suckles six healthy pups. All of them pitch black like her save for a blue female.

Little Wolf is curled into a ball on the cold dirt floor. Khan gathers her gently into her arms and deposits her carefully in her chair downstairs before covering her with a warm quilt. His hand ghosts over her forehead before ruffling her dark brown hair and wandering upstairs to check on the pups one last time.

Cooing greets his ears. He sees Sharp Quill sitting next to the large Great Dane. Her wrinkled hand pets the dog gently and a small smile ignites her features as she grins at the tiny lives in her house. Perhaps, the old bat had a heart after all. Smirking slightly, Khan sneaks back downstairs and lies down his couch. The pups will be fine.

**…**

The smell of clean water greets his nose.

Soft.

Clean.

Refreshing.

His eyebrows turn downwards in groggy thought. Why was he smelling water? He was inside…where it was warm…dry... Something cold and wet slap him in the face and temporarily cuts off his breathing. Gasping, he shoots up and sees Little Wolf giggling. An empty bowl snickers at him from her hands.

"You have a ten second head start." Khan growls irritably. Why would she even do this? It wasn't even daylight out yet!

"Ten seconds?" She cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"Five seconds." He amends and he sees her frown.

"What?"

"You had your chance." He says calmly before giving a bloodcurdling roar.

She shrieks in surprise as he envelops her in her arms and carries her upstairs. Sharp Quill walks into the bathroom just in time for Khan turn the shower on and toss Little Wolf-clothes and all-right into the freezing spray.

"And they think I'm evil." The old woman smirks just as the girl shrieks and tries to jump out; Khan doesn't let her. "Just don't break anything."

"Done," he agreed swiftly to old woman's terms.

"Sharp Quill! Help!" The girl yelped and tried once more to escape. Khan stopped her easily. She looked, with pleading eyes, at Sharp Quill, who shrugged at the pair in the bathroom.

"Don't look at me, kiddos." The woman nods. "I was never even here. Good night; don't get water all over my clean floor or I'll dump your cold corpses in the river."

"You're not playing fair." Little Wolf scowls at Khan but he merely smirks at her coldly.

"Revenge isn't fair-particularly before sunrise." He walks away.

**So, how are you guys liking it so far? Please review and tell me what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please review and tell me what you think. :)**

**Chapter 5**

"Last one there has to gather tomorrow's wood!" Little Wolf declares before breaking into a run.

"You're cheating!" Hawk complains as he runs after her.

His green eyes burn at the challenge of beating his friend in a race but, alas, it was not to be. Little Wolf springs over the finish line and squeals in victory. Khan watches from the hut and smirks when he sees the other children pouting from the sting of their defeat. The baby, Beaver, wraps his tiny fingers around Khan's pant leg and tugs at the black fabric clumsily.

"John!" The blond child giggles. "John!" Khan glances down at the tyke and the baby bursts into a fit of giggles when the Augment makes eye contact with him. "Peak boo!" He pronounces. "John! Peak boo!" He giggles more.

"Is that so?" Chuckling, Khan picks the one year old up carefully and blows softly in his face making the baby laugh harder. Sharp Quill smiles at him from the kitchen before checking in on Roanoke and the pups.

And all was good and right in the world.

But…they would be out of food soon. The berries and fish wouldn't return until spring, and most of the game had left the region in favor of warmer locations. Meanwhile, their enemies rallied for war all around them as they captured or destroyed village after village. Sooner or later, disaster was going to strike, and this time they may not be so lucky.

"Having fun are we?" Sharp Quill asks the Augment as he tosses the child lightly into the air and catches him easily. Beaver laughs.

"Again! Again!" The boy demands and Khan gives into the boy's wishes, tossing him into the air once more before catching him again.

"The child most certainly is." Khan answers vaguely.

Sharp Quill laughs and swats him halfheartedly with her cane. It doesn't hurt.

"Get out of here." She jokes; Khan raises his eyebrows in mock fear and darts away just in time to avoid getting hit again.

"With pleasure."

Still carrying Beaver, Khan wanders over towards Little Wolf. Sneakily, he picks up a handful of snow with his free hand and throws it at the girl. It hits her right in the chest. Surprised, she drops into the powdery snow behind her and blinks in confusion. Then her eyes catch sight of John and they narrow mischievously.

"This means war!" She declares before chucking a snowball at him and smacking him-hard-in the middle of his forehead.

The others join in. From the doorway of her hut, Sharp Quill rolls her eyes before wandering back into the kitchen. Khan dodges the powdery projectile and turn his body to let a few smack into his back, protecting Beaver from the worst of the fight. Beaver squeals and sticks out his tongue to catch a few snowflakes. Khan darts behind a large snow bank and dropping into a crouch, he puts Beaver down on the ground beside him.

"Pity!" Khan called back at Little Wolf as he launched several snowballs at the children. "it would seem that you've already lost!"

**…**

That night, Khan stokes the fire and Sharp Quill messes around with some old equipment: an ancient projector and speaker. Within minutes, and old movie flickers over the dirt wall of their small, temporary home. The children's eyes grow wide with wonder as they watch the technological sorcery unfold before them. Beaver crawls shakily to sit beside his sister, Fawn. Their blond hair glows dully in the firelight. Beaver sucks on his tiny fist and a steady stream of drool drips down his arm to splat onto the floor. Little Wolf glances at the tyke and wrinkles her nose in disgust.

**…**

Sunlight slips gently into the room and caresses the rickety furniture. Khan and Little Wolf sit at the table. The girl's legs swing back and forth as she sits in the chair—not once do her delicate little toes touch the floor—as she doodles in her book.

"John?" She asks.

"Hm?" He glances at her before looking once more at the snow outside.

"What's your favorite memory of your family?" She doesn't look up at him or hesitate in her sketching.

He thinks for a moment: "When we went to the countryside."

"What happened?"

"Nothing much. We explored, ate berries and fresh fish from the river, went swimming…but it was peaceful and…relaxing."

The Eugenic War had hit not soon after they had returned. Many of them had gone missing and the few Khan could save were still (possibly) trapped within their frozen cryotubes...but that summer had been...nice.

They had explored nearby caves, finding several valuable, sparkling gems. They had dove into the ocean and saw a large coral reef teeming with life. The smell of wildflowers and sweet, wild honey had filled their lungs. For the first time in a long time they had felt...safe. The humans had been happy; their Augmented leaders had brought them stability and food whereas before their cities were being torn apart by wars, plagues, and starvation.

Everything had been perfect! When had it all changed...? When had the humans tired of them? Khan's hand curled into a fist. He slowly inhaled and then exhaled before going back to the conversation at hand.

"And yours?" He asked, forcing his voice lack the sadness he had felt moments ago.

"I never met your family, weirdo." She smiles down at her paper and Khan can feel a grin of his own beginning to surface at her answer.

"I meant," He explains. "With your family."

"When my mom sang. It was Hanukkah and dark. The only light came from our candles. It was…pretty?" Khan nods for her to continue. "And then she sang. My brother, he was too little to sing, but I did. It was fun. After that, we got presents. I got my knives but Sharp Quill took 'em away on account that I might hurt someone with them." _Or, with her being as clumsy and hyper as she is, she'd probably just wind up harming herself_, Khan thinks. "Then we ate cookies and went to our new home."

"New home?"

"The People traveled a lot. We went to one place in the summers and a different place in the winters, but Sharp Quill is too old to travel that far and a lot of The People that are left are either too old or too young to go that far. So, we don't no more."

_So, they were nomadic…but why did so many die off? A plague of some kind, maybe…?_

"Any more." Khan corrects.

She sticks her tongue out at him. Zevi wanders into the room and sits on Khan's feet. His paintbrush tail wags happily as he leans his head over Khan's knees to beg for affection. Without thinking, Khan strokes the animal's head.

"What happened to your people?" He asks. The smile slips off of her face immediately and she stares down at her sketchbook and shrugs. "Do you miss them?"

"Yeah…but I miss my mom the mostest of all. I need—I need to go gather wood. Goodbye!" She jumps quickly to her feet and dashes out the door without waiting for a response.

Khan calls out her name, but it's too late. She's already slipped into the stillness of the forest and swallowed by the pale pink sunrise. Zevi barks softly before running after her with his tail high in the air like a battle flag.

**…**

While Little Wolf is off sulking, Khan helps Sharp Quill watch the younger children: Fawn and Beaver. Beaver crawls around on the floor and tries to peer at the whimpering puppies but Sharp Quill won't allow him near the helpless pups. He whines and pouts but she doesn't give in to his demands. Fawn chatters on and on about knitting, and "pretty flowers", and "cute wittle animals" while Khan pretends to pay attention. Hawk wanders outside to wait for Little Wolf to return.

Only, she doesn't.

**..**.

The hours stretch longer and longer. Dawn bleeds into noon which in turn melts into dusk. She doesn't come back. A solemn silence fills the hut. _Where is she? Did something happen? Did she get hurt? Is she alright? _Khan paces back and forth with a sleeping Beaver held carefully in his strong arms.

"Get out of my house." Sharp Quill snaps before taking the sleeping baby from him. "Go on. You're driving me crazy with all that pacing. Don't you—don't you start it up again! Get out, young man! You heard me! Git!" She chases him out with sharp blows to his ankles and scowls at him.

Sighing, Khan steps into the forest and begins his search.

**…**

Night falls.

The moon begins its slow climb.

A cold silence follows in Khan's wake and the whole forest seems to hold its collective breath. The wind murmurs of danger and the trees whisper of violence and pain. Snow crunches sickeningly under his boots and he flinches slightly, expected the ice to suddenly transform into tiny, child sized bones.

How many people had he killed during the wars? How many of those were nothing more than mere children? He was Khan Noonien Singh; during his reign, he had destroyed entire families—villages, even—at the smallest sign of rebellion. He had lived under a blood red sky. His garden was a war torn field. He had crushed skulls and snapped necks with his bare hands and planned to do so again at the first possible chance—so, what did it matter if another were to die?

What did it matter to him if the girl had perished in the snow?

And yet, it did.

It did matter, and it drove him insane.

Try as he might, he could never quite transform into the blood thirsty monster that Admiral Marcus or society wanted to paint him into. When all was said and done, he was just a man—an advanced man, sure, but a man nonetheless.

"Little Wolf." His voice echoes painfully back at him and something in his heart clenches painfully. Where was she? Something—a twig, maybe—breaks with a loud resounding _snap!_

And then the roar fills his ears.

A huge sehlat rushes straight for him. It's brown eyes burn with rage as it screams its challenge into the still air. Puffs of putrid mist fly past its snarling jaws and forms large pillars in the air. Khan straightens his back and bellows back at it. Let it attack. He'll kill it where it stands. He was not afraid of anything lest of all a bear with saber teeth.

"Alma! No!" A sharp voice calls out. Khan's head snaps up to see a shivering Little Wolf behind the beast. "Bad, Alma! No! Go home!" The sehlat huffs and flattens its tiny ears back at the scolding girl. Little Wolf wags her fingers at bad. "No! Bad bear! Bad!"

"Where have you been?" Khan demands angrily when the sehlat leaves.

"I fell into the river. Alma took back to her cave to help me warm back up." She explains calmly. "Where have you been?" Curiosity laces her words.

"At the hut." He scowls.

"It was boring wasn't it?" She asks.

He inhales deeply and exhales in an attempt to fight off the urge to throw her into a tree.

"Let's just head back." khan suggested.

"Alright." She taps him lightly in the ankle with her foot. "Race you!"

Khan runs after her but she manages to stay just ahead of him.

"I'm going to win!" She yells and he runs faster, beating her by two feet. "No fair! You're legs are longer! I want a rematch!"

"Or you'll what?" Khan raises an eyebrow just as a snowball explodes from Little Wolf's hand and slams into his nose. Snow flies into his eyes. By the time he wipes the ice away, Little Wolf is racing away.

"You can't catch me, old man!" She challenges shrilly before bursting into giggles when he runs after her.

"We'll see about that!" Khan growls.


	6. Chapter 6

**Some angst up ahead. You have been warned (*maniacal laughter*). Fortunately, I have also put in some humor to offset the tears of mourning that is soon to come. You're welcome, and I regret nothing. ****Reviews are most welcom****e.**

**Chapter 6**

That night Khan wakes up to see Little Wolf sitting up very slowly in her chair. He blinks sleepily and watches as she carefully lowers herself onto the floor, slips into her jacket and boots, and then sneaks soundlessly upstairs.

What was she up to? Just as quietly, Khan pulls on his own boots and coat and follows after her.

Like a shadow, she melts into the shade cast by the moon as she runs through the trees, leaving a very light trail of footprints that seem to shrink with each step that she takes. Eventually, after they had run a mile or so, she slows to a walk even though Khan can tell that she has yet to tire herself out.

Then, she sits immobile on a burned log and stares into a clearing. Her knees go up to her chest and she rest her chin lightly on top of her left knee as she stares in front of her. Khan squints to see what she's looking out but he can't make anything out through the trees. A twig snaps under his foot and he freezes.

"You don't run very fast." She says without ever looking back.

"Nor do you." Khan retorts before sitting beside her, his back ramrod straight. "What is this place?"

There are buildings here—all of them burned to a crisp. Intact skeletons of multiple humans rest in the ashes. Every time the wind blows, it yanks billows of soot into the uncaring night sky.

"It's the Village. And these are my people. The People." She glances at him, meets his gaze for a moment, before quickly looking away.

"What happened?" He has to know.

Something within him is craving the story—her story. Who, other than him, would do such a thing to a people? What reason could someone give for this? And…how had she-a child no older than five years old-escaped when everyone, evened seasoned hunters, had been caught unawares? The attack had clearly come from above: from ships of some sort. Anyone who had tried to escape, even young children, had been cut down instantly.

"The Invaders came," she whispers quietly.

Invaders? What invaders? And who in their right mind would bother invading this place? There was nothing-absolutely nothing!-of value here. No significant source of gold, gems, or ore! Any invasion would be a complete waste of time!

"Why?" He asked.

Little Wolf shrugged but didn't look at him: "I dont know; they didn't like us, I guess. I warned the other villages about the danger of the Invaders, but it didn't work," she started to swing her legs as the horrors of that night came back to her. "So, in the middle of the night, they came in their metal birds—their ships—and killed everyone."

"You weren't here." He states quietly. "If you had been, you would have perished with the rest."

"I was running away. Me and my mom both were." Her voice is small and choked with sadness. "I had my brother and the tools I'd need to survive…we made it all the way to the river."

The river was a mile behind them.

"And then?" he glanced at her and then back to the ghost town befor them.

"The sky lit on fire. Everyone was screaming. I runned back but I couldn't do anything. They were already dead by the time I got there. Then, I was all alone. Sharp Quill and some kids were doing a night hike—they lived. Some elders were away to different villages…they lived too but, they're old. They may not live long. Lots of 'em are sick bad."

"Was your mom in the village?"

"No. She's still missing."

"And…was she taken? By the Invaders, I mean." He almost doesn't want to know.

He can already hear the phantom screams of agony ripping through the ruins that used to be the girl's whole world. He could easily envision Little Wolf's panic and pain as she stumbled into the one place she could honestly call home…

"I don't know. We fell asleep and it was cold. When I woke up, it was still cold but she was gone. The trails in the forest had changed and I didn't recognize any of the People. Everything was different…but…a lot of people had died while we were away. A long time had passed. Now, everyone wants me and the others dead, but I don't know why."

"How much time passed while you and your mum were…away?"

Little Wolf shrugs: "Joooohn! I don't know my numbers or time words."

Khan sighs and inwardly face palms himself. Right. She can barely speak English—why would he expect her know her numbers?

The wind blows and Little Wolf shivers as it cuts cruelly through her thin jacket. Khan unzips his coat and pulls her to his chest before zipping it back up. She wriggles a little closer and sighs as their combined warmth sizzles comfortably through her bones. Khan rests his chin lightly upon her head and exhales.

It was hard for him to not be able to be with his people, but his had yet to be exterminated from existence. Even though it was unlikely that he'd ever see them again, there was still a possibility that he would. Little Wolf, however, was a member of a dying people...

**…**

"You're quiet." Little Wolf yawns. "Are you mad at me? Do you hate me now? Do you want me to be dead, too?"

"No." He stands slowly and is careful to hold her close to his chest as he walks lest he drop her on the ground and step on her and crush her frail bones beneath his heel. "No, I'm not." His voice comes out as a hoarse whisper.

"Are you sure?" She looks up at him uncertainly and, not for the first time, Khan finds himself wondering just what kind of life this five year old girl has led.

"Yes. I'm sure. I don't hate you, little one." He'd have laughed had the situation not been so morose.

"Promise?"

"I promise." He holds her a little closer to him and she sighs in relief before snuggling closer to his beating heart and wrapping her arms carefully around his neck. Minutes later, her breathing evens out and her warm breath dances across the skin on his sensitive throat as she falls asleep.

"G'night, weirdo." She murmurs before dropping into unconsciousness.

When they get back to the hut, Khan lays her gently on her chair and then pulls the quilt up to her shoulders. Shivering, she curls into a tight ball and wiggles even father beneath the warm blanket. Khan smirks in the darkness before wandering over to the couch, tugging off his coat and boots. Icy blue eyes glare up into nothingness.

He, too, soon allows himself to be embraced by the soothing arms of unconsciousness. His loud snores shake the room and snap Little Wolf out of her slumber. Swiftly, she snatches up a pillow from the floor and chucks it—hard—into his head. He jerks awake and falls to the floor with a loud _thunk!_

"Stop breathing so loud! Earth people are complaining about it!"

"Oh, shut up." He retorts as he clambers back into his make shift bed. Another pillow smacks him in the head.

"Go back to sleep! I'm tired!"

"Why don't you come over here and make me…!" Khan challenges.

"Kids," Sharp Quill stands on the staircase and glowers at each of them in turn. "I have enough drugs to make an elephant tipsy. If you two continue to argue, I will use them."

"Try it. I dare you." Khan growls.

The cane goes flying across the room and smacks him in the head. Before he can launch himself at Sharp Quill, she shoots a dart into his shoulder. His legs go weak and he collapses to the floor. Minutes later, his snoring begins.

"Great." Little Wolf complains. "Now he's breathing again!"

"Keep whining," Sharp Quill points the gun at her. "I've got a dart with your name on it."

Little Wolf ceases talking immediately and throws her arms up into the air in mock surrender. Chuckling, the old woman retrieves her cane and shuffles back upstairs to check once more on Roanoke and her pups. She cackles loudly.

"Ha, I've still got it!"


	7. Chapter 7

**There is more humorous fluff in this chapter but the plot is about to thicken and get darker. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 7**

Little Wolf whimpering in her sleep wakes him from his drug induced slumber. Her frowns groggily and looks towards the easy chair as his vision blurred and the room tilted and _spun_ wildly. His brain pounded and his limbs were weak and shaking.

_ What_ _the_ _hell_ _had_ _that_ _old_ _woman_ _given_ _me?_ He wondered tiredly.

Khan staggers to his feet and then stumbles over to her. Losing his balance, he fell to his knees and smacks his head on the arm of the chair. Zevi growls when he collapsed ontop of the him, but Khan managed to raise himself off of the canine with shaking arms; Zevi darts quickly from the room as another peal of thunder shakes the hut's walls.

Little Wolf _gives_ a choked sob and jumps into Khan's warm embrace, nearly bowling him over. Her body is tensed and shivering with fear. He can almost see the fire glowing in her eyes; almost hear the screams of her people as the flames consumed them.

"It's alright." He murmurs quietly and she hides her face in his shirt, sobbing quietly as the memory of the destruction of her people rushes back at her because of the storm. "You're okay. Don't worry; you're okay…"

Standing back up, he carries her back to the couch just as another shriek of thunder rips through them. Silently, he places her on the couch before lying down next to her, putting himself between her and the storm raging furiously outside. The wind howls and moans as it shakes the trees. Blinding white flashes of lightning explodes over and over again only to be followed by equally terrifying screams of thunder. She wiggles closer to him and he wraps an arm around her trembling form before pulling his quilt over the both of _them._

BANG!

The house shakes and she whimpers quietly. Khan pats her back reassuringly.

"Everything is going to be okay." He whispers. "It's just a storm; it will pass. I'm here...it's alright. It'll all be soon."

Outside, the rain falls harder as the storm roars out its defiance to Khan's prediction of its end. Hours pass by. Little by little, the girl relaxes into Khan's chest and her breathing deepens as she falls back asleep. Khan doesn't move. He stares at her for a while with calm, icy blue eyes.

He had killed thousands without feeling a shred of remorse and here he was, the great and terrible Khan, comforting a little girl.

_How far the mighty had truly fallen._

_Fate, thou truly art fickle!_

**…**

"Come on! Up, John! Wake up!"

"Go away!" He pulls the pillow down over his face and tries to fall back asleep—he isn't so fortunate.

"But it's morning! Come on!" Little Wolf whines. "You gots to get up right now!"

"The sun isn't even up, yet!" He complains.

"The sun is lazy! We aren't! Come on! Jooohn!" She tugs on the pillow but can't slip it out of his iron like grip. "Pleaaaaaase, get up?"

"No!" Groaning, Khan peaks out at Little Wolf.

She's watching him expectantly. When he says nothing more pillow—her pillow—smack him lightly in the head. Briefly, Khan contemplates the idea of snapping her twig like arm before dismissing it: too savage, too messy, too _loud_.

"Go back to sleep," He hisses into the darkness.

"I'm not tired." She yawns widely.

"Lying," Khan narrows his eyes. "Is morally frowned upon by most people in my society."

"I'm not from your 'society' (whatever that is) and you don't care. You do it all the time. You told Sharp Quill that her cooking was really good and Hawk that he wasn't completely a weirdo, but you didn't believe your words. That made 'em a lie. Besides, I'm one of the People. The People don't_ never_ lie, John. It's in the rules."

He rolls his eyes.

Right, and he was saint, he thinks sarcastically.

"Why don't you go play with one of your harebrained friends?" Khan groans and considers throwing the pillow at her for a moment before reconsidering. With his strength, if he miscalculated, he'd wind up putting her in a hospital…or worse: her grave. It would not be wise to accidently slaughter his guide/translator.

"They'd throw me in the river if I woke them up, doofus." Little Wolf pouts.

"They may be onto something..."

"Hey! That's not fair!" She snaps and punches him lightly in the arm: Khan fights the urge to laugh.

"Shhh!" He looks up at her gives her an icy glare that would have made grown men howl in fear: Little Wolf merely stares back blankly at him in response.

"Why? It's time to get uuuup!" She stomps her little foot.

"I'll get up when it's _daylight_." He rolls his back to her and closes his eyes.

"John!" He rethinks the pillow idea and chucks it at her. A dull _thunk_ follows as she hits the ground. Whining, she goes upstairs and leaves the exhausted Augment in peace.

Or…so he thinks.

Groaning, he lies back down and closes his eyes. His breathing grows deeper as a warm fuzziness invades his mind and lolls him back to sleep. A dream gently unfurls—and then Little Wolf returns.

With a water gun.

The icy spray hits him in the face. Gasping in surprise, he shoots up in his bed. Pale blue eyes instantly rest on his tormentor. Without a word, Khan pounces off of the bed and lunges for the child. Terrified, she drops the toy weapon and rushes up the stairs with a sharp yelp.

Khan catches her effortlessly before she reaches the trap door leading to the outside world and carries her kicking body into to the bathroom. Ignoring her indignant squeals, the Augment turns on the shower to COLD and then tosses her directly into the spray.

She screams and instantly tries to jump back out, but Khan holds her in place. Shivering, she glares at him and Khan smirks.

"You were sufficiently warned." He yawns before knocking her down.

She slips on the wet tiles and she tries to clamber to her feet. Yawning, Khan goes back downstairs and plops back onto his couch. He can hear the shower flip off and wet footsteps follow him back downstairs. Little Wolf grabs some dry clothes and pads back to the bathroom where is she met by a very angry Sharp Quill. Chuckling darkly, Khan crawls beneath the warm covers and sighs contently as Sharp Quill scolds the girl thoroughly.

_Finally, peace at last._

**…**

The snow melts so gradually that they don't notice it until months later. A fine layer of white frost still coats the hard earth, but it won't be long until that too is gone. Soon, they'll be able to travel. Khan has to admit, he's going to miss his new little family and Little Wolf's funny—if not suicidal—pranks.

Now, the bugs sing outside. Sharp Quill pulls out an old television and sets it up in the kitchen. Khan raises an eyebrow at her but she merely shrugs.

"It be time to check in on the world again." She says.

The children crowd around the device with wide eyes as she plugs it in. It shows nothing but static. She fiddles with the dials and slaps it hard a few times before an image begins to take shape and a voice Khan knows only too well is spat from the dusty speakers.

His blood boils with hatred: Marcus.

Little Wolf freezes instantly. The glass she is holding drops from her hand and shatters by her bare feet. Khan's attention instantly narrows in on the child as he moves forward to carry her away from the broken shards. Her eyes are wide as Marcus comes on screen but this time, it is fear that takes control.

Khan moves her carefully like who one would handle a porcelain doll but her strong emotion is not lost on him…_but what could possibly make her so afraid? She had never met that monster on the screen. Never had to endure his mind games or undergo torture._

"Those things should be killed!" Marcus screams from the television.

Khan sets Little Wolf back on the ground-far away from the glass-and tenses at Marcus' words. The hatred lacing them is clear and pronounced. He must be talking about Khan's family—what else would evoke such an emotion from that worm of a man?

"It's the Buzzard Man!" Hawk exclaims but the others quickly shush him. _'Buzzard Man'? _Khan wonders._ The name was certainly _fitting.

"They should all be destroyed! Every last one of them!" He continues.

"You are talking about _children_!" Another voice—Captain Kirk's—argues. _Wait… 'children'?_ Khan's crew is comprised of adults—_only_ adults. _What people are they talking about? _

A heavy silence hangs over the hut. There is no more laughter, no more excitement. Only fear and dread remain. Bodies are tensed and expectant. Khan's eyes flicker over the faces of his new 'family'. They all look worried.

"I am talking about _monsters_!" The Admiral corrects with an enraged snarl. Spit flies from his mouth and anger burns brightly in his eyes. "They don't deserve to live!"

At this, Little Wolf flinches visibly, and Khan puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Kirk yells back: "Monsters? What could they have possibly done wrong besides surviving? Existing? These are kids, Admiral, not bloodthirsty animals. We should help them, not exterminate them!" Kirk counters.

Little Wolf pulls away from Khan and wanders to the door, her head is tilted to the side as she listens. The argument goes on and is only interrupted by brief attacks of static. The two go around and around, neither one gaining traction as they argue about whether or not Little Wolf and her people should be allowed to survive. The court is seeming to side with Marcus; this will not bode well for the surviving members of The People…but what happened to the others?

"Oh, no." Sharp Quill's whisper—barely more than a breath—is like a shot gun sounding in the silence.

The gavel cracks into the wood as the court motions for the already scarce numbers of The People to be cut down even more. Horror sweeps across the room. The children begin to cry immediately and look up to the ceiling as though expecting the roof to cave in at any moment...and who knew? Maybe it would.

"We got to go!" Little Wolf suddenly screams from the doorway. Terror ignites her pale eyes as she rushes back into the room. "They're coming! Hurry!"

No one questions it. Her dog, Zevi, rushes out the door and into the forest at break neck speed. The children rush to grab their already packed bags and Khan quickly scoops up the baby, Beaver, before throwing his own bag over his shoulder and following the others out into the cool of the night.

Within minutes they are in the forest and yelping as they watch fire rain down from the sky and engulf the hut. The ship's engines roar as they rocket away from the destruction they had so mercilessly wrought. The children wail and sob. Sharp Quill stares at her home in disbelief and falls to her knees in shock. Little Wolf hangs her head low and draws in slow, shuddering breaths.

"It's time to go." She says after a minute.

The others quiet and a flame of admiration sparks in Khan's chest. She reminds of him of himself when he liberated his people from Sector 31 and built their empires on Earth.

She continues to speak: "Come on. The faster we move the better. They'll only be back, and we don't want to be here when they are, alright?"

Sharp Quill rises slowly and nods. Her ancient voice breaks as more tears flow down her wrinkled face: "Lead on, then."

Little Wolf leads them to a cave some three or four miles away. They don't make a fire. That night, the baby, Beaver, curls tightly into Khan's chest and Little Wolf sits alone by the entrance. Her pale blue eyes stare up at the uncaring sky above as her mind scrambles to figure out what they'll do tomorrow.

**…**

The frost is melted by the time they wake up. The time has come to once again head towards Riverweed. They walk in silence. Sharp Quill travels slowly at the back and they stop constantly to allow the older woman time to rest. Sighing, Little Wolf stops them again—the 7th time that day—and whistles sharply.

"Alma!" She calls. "Come on, where are you?"

The sehlat that attacked Khan before lumbers up and Little Wolf pulls a wagon out from behind some bushes. She leads Sharp Quill over to the device and both she and Khan help the woman into it. Quickly, the girl darts ahead to fasten it to the bear-like creature.

Now, they race along. The sehlat and Zevi run ahead and Sharp Quill squeals half in fright and half in glee as her wagon pulls ahead of the other; her gnarled hands clutch the wagon's sides tightly for support. Everyone laughs and runs after her.

Khan finds himself racing Little Wolf but she matches him stride for stride with her tiny, little legs. Sunlight dances through the trees drunkenly and the birds offer up a cheerful melod despite their somber predicament.

Panting, they find their new cave home for the night. Hawk and Little Wolf go off in search of food while Khan gathers up wood for their fire. Hours later, fed and warm, they go to sleep. Beaver rests once more upon Khan's broad chest and Little Wolf curls comfortably into the Augments left side. His arm wraps around her to keep her safe from the cruel world she was forced into. Alma and Zevi scuffle over in the far corner as Sharp Quill tells the children a story in their strange, foreign language.

Khan's icy heart is filled with dread for these people. If he leaves, they will all die. Kirk can argue all he wants. In the end, the Admiral is his superior. Kirk may be a good man, but he was still just a soldier, and soldiers had to follow their orders, morals be damned— of this Khan knew only too well.

Not too long ago, he would have been the one _giving _the kill order. Now, now the sees the faces of the ones he so mercifully slaughtered. How many of those had been innocent? How many of them had been like Little Wolf?

His fingers play with her dark brown hair as he thinks.

Honestly, he didn't know what was going to happen to them. He couldn't take them with him: they'd die for sure on his hell-bound mission. Their only hope was Kirk and who knew how long or how hard he'd fight to save them before the Enterprise was thrown onto a mission that forced his focus elsewhere?

Khan's gaze goes over the kids as they yawn widely. One by one, he watches as they all fall asleep. They were so trusting, so kind. Not even knowing him, they offered him a place to stay and food to put in his belly and asked for nothing in return.

Little Wolf exhales loudly next to him and Khan looks down at her. She could have easily left him to die in that batch of quicksand. Instead, she took on the challenge of leading a possibly dangerous stranger to his destination. She steered him clear of poisons and traps. The only thing she asked of him was not to harm her. That was all.

"John?" She murmurs sleepily into his side.

"Hm?" He looks down at her and waits patiently for a response.

"Goodnight." She yawns and he holds her closer to himself

He watches as she breathes in and out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

In.

and Out.

The warm air ghosts over his stomach and seems to burn the skin beneath his black shirt.

_The child was kind._

_ Curious._

_ Mischievous. _

_Why would Marcus want her destroyed? What threat could such a delicate and naïve creature possibly pose to Starfleet?_

_ To Earth? _

She was five years old and _nothing _like Khan. She helped people: Khan slaughtered them. He was savage; she was compassionate. He was merciless—she had mercy in abundance! She brought light to a world drowning in the darkness that _Khan_ had strived to create.

But she was now a target for Marcus's cruelty, and Khan was determined to find out why.

"Goodnight, Little Wolf," He whispers back finally but she never hears him. She had already fallen asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The children dart ahead and laugh as they play while Khan walks alongside Sharp Quill's wagon.

"Look out! An Invader!" Little Wolf sounds the alarm quickly before the children scuttle away to hide in the bushes once more. The moment Khan and Sharp Quill pass by, they jump out of their hiding places and once again resume their joyful games.

"What are they doing?" Sharp Quill murmurs. "There's no one out here but us."

"She's training them," Khan answers quietly. Sharp Quill looks at him sharply and he shrugs. "That way, if danger should arise…" he trails off to allow her to continue the thought.

"They would be able to evade it…"

"And come out unharmed." He finished.

"How did you know that?"

"I was one a…soldier of sorts." He admits after a moment's hesitation. "I had to train my people how to do battle. We would run drills not too dissimilar to this one in order to condition ourselves on how to react to certain stimuli. Certain situations."

"But that's crazy."

"Not necessarily. That way one wouldn't need to think under physical or mental duress: they'd simply react."

"No." The old woman says patiently. "What I meant, is that it's crazy that she knows how to do this: how to teach them. None of our people are warriors and she's taught them how to fight, how to hunt, and now how to evade capture. Where would she learn this? At such a young age?"

_Now that was a good question_, Khan thinks.

**…**

Khan is sitting quietly beside the bank of the river and watches the water flow gently past him. Sunlight skips across the calm surface and birds sing gently from their lofty perches in the trees. The wind embraces him softly before skipping away and running its warm fingers through the grass or rustling nearby foliage.

"Are you angry at me, John?" Little Wolf asks him finally at what her people call Sunhigh ("noon").

"Where would you get that idea?"

"You haven't talked to me all day. Did I make you mad? Are you going to get violent? Are you going to hurt me?"

His head snaps towards her in surprise. "Why would I do that?"

"It happens to lots of people by this point in our journey. They get mad and try to hurt me. I don't know why, but it happens every time." She watches him warily and flinches when he goes to move towards her. He stops and relaxes into the tree behind him slowly.

"I have no desire to harm you." He keeps his voice even. Calm.

"I have no desire to eat fried rat but if I'm hungry enough I will." She counters.

"I will not hurt you, Little Wolf. You know that. Is something wrong? Are you worried about something?" He asks and an emotion flickers quickly through her eyes. When he blinks, it's gone.

"No. I'm fine." She backs away, "Have fun."

"Little Wolf." He calls after her but she's already rushing back towards the group.

**…**

That night, as the others sleep, Little Wolf stares quietly up at a sky that stares dispassionately back. Khan watches her frown up at the stars and sighs to himself. Despite her people's tradition, she had lied to him. Something was wrong.

"Something is bothering you."

"Yeah…"

"Why did you lie?"

"Because." She pauses as she considers her next words. "I didn't want to admit it. I did want to admit that I would..." Her words cut off immediately.

"That you would…?" Khan prompts.

"That I would think of something like that. Something that bad. Evil." She doesn't look at him.

"Such as?"

"I have a plan for keeping the Invaders away—and the Buzzard Man."

"They would slaughter you in a war. You're people aren't as advanced as they," Khan says swiftly.

"I wasn't…I wasn't talking about war."

"What then if not war?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

"It doesn't matter."

"It's tearing you up from the inside out. You haven't eaten properly or truly smiled since before the fire yesterday."

"Sharp Quill wouldn't approve—none of the People would. It's not worth mentioning or doing." She sighs. "It's stupid. I'm stupid. And evil."

His heart clenches at that last statement. The child was brilliant and he had yet to find anything 'evil' about her. Strange, sure but nothing malicious.

"Doubtful." He replies.

"But true." She says sadly.

"Well, what is this 'evil' plan of yours? Are you going to rob a candy store? Or are you liberating puppies from a mill?"

She throws a pinecone at his head and glares at him. "I mean it!" She whispers loudly.

"Then what is it? Hm?"

"Once I've gotten you to Riverweed and you're gone, I'm going to use a computer to make a big virus that'll make air ships with things called 'microchips' in them turn off when they get too close to our planet, and they'll crash and everyone in them will die."

"That's not evil—it's self-defense."

"But that's not all." She stares down at her feet.

"They have bases not too far from here. The virus will make them all turn off. It'll make everything turn off and our planet's people won't be hurt by it…"

"And the others will."

"Yeah…the animals will come and eat them. They'll all die. See?" She looks at him before quickly looking away. "I'm evil just like they always said." A tear slips down her cheek and is quickly eclipsed by another.

And then another.

She draws in shuddering breaths as Khan moves over to sit down beside her. Wordlessly, he draws her to his chest and rubs her back while she sobs silently into his shoulder.

"You're not evil." He says over and over again.

After a while, she begins to calm down. She listens to his heart pounding in his chest and the sound lulls her to sleep. The fact that she felt any guilt for what she was planning to do was enough evidence to debunk her being 'evil' theory.

…

"John?" Little Wolf wakes before the others and shakes Khan's shoulder until his eyes open and he glares at her warningly. She doesn't notice and shakes harder.

"Stop. Now." He growls. She stops instantly. "What do you want?"

"Are you going to tell Sharp Quill?"

"About what?"

"That thing I told you yesterday."

"No." He rolls from his side and onto his back.

"Really?" She lies down and uses his chest as a pillow.

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Will you let me go back to sleep?"

"Yep."

"Then yes." A moment of silence passes and then Little Wolf crawls ontop of him and leans down until their noses are nearly touching.

"John?"

"Yes?" He groans.

"Why do you talk do weird?"

"How you mean?"

"Well," She then proceeds to mimic his accent. "You talk like this." Her voice is a squeaky, rumbling sound that seems caught between a purr and growl. She drops his accent completely, "And we talk normal. Why is that?"

"My way sounds more impressive." He says and she blows air in his face. "I will throw you in the river in you don't get off of me." He threatens.

"You can't." She says.

He springs to his feet and picks her up under an arm, cutting off whatever else she was going to say. "I beg to differ."

She opens her mouth to yell something but then he simply tosses her straight into the river. Her head vanishes beneath the surface with a scream. Smirking, Khan rocks back on his heels and waits patiently for her to submerge. Seconds drag by slowly and he frowns.

Surely, it wasn't that deep.

"Where's Little Wolf?" Hawk walks up and rubs his eyes lazily with a fist.

"The river." Khan replies as he scans the water for any sign of movement: nothing. His heart begins to pound in his chest.

"What?" Alarm fills the boy's voice. "John, none of the People can swim!"

**Cliff hanger :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Within seconds, Khan is diving into the icy water and searching frantically for the girl. His ice open beneath the murky liquid but he sees nothing—no movement, no bubbling screams, no frantically clawing fingers. Nothing. His head breaks the surface. Panting, he cuts his eyes across the river's glassy surface and fights against the ever growing current. Where was she?

"Little Wolf!" He screams out her name while Hawk runs frantically on the bank as he follows the river…but he doesn't see her either. "LITTLE WOLF!" Khan screams louder. His heart gallops in his chest like a mustang racing away from a starving mountain lion. Where was she? WHERE WAS SHE?

"Ah!" A muffled scream sounds around the river bend and then wild splashing that instantly stops.

Khan swims towards the sound furiously. The current carries him around the bend, but there is nothing there!

"LITTLE WOLF!" He dives back beneath the water and then rushes back up.

Nothing! Again, nothing! Where was she? If he weren't so scared right now, he'd want to strangle her! Why didn't she tell him that her people couldn't swim? Why do her people have to be so frail? So feeble! This is all her fault! Had she told him—had she not woken him up—she would be alright! None of this would have ever happened!

But he was the one who threw her in.

If she dies, her blood will be on his hands…and—unlike countless others—this death will not be easily forgotten.

"John!" A coughing scream accompanied by more splashing. She was alive! She swims faster. "JOHN!"

He turns around the next corner just in time to see the river force her back beneath the surface. Streams of bubbles float upwards as she screams in terror. Immediately, Khan dives down and wraps his arm around her waist before shooting back upwards. Gasping, he puts the girl on his back and allows her to curl her shivering arms around his neck before swimming back to the bank. His fingers and feet stab into the slipper mud as, exhausted, he hauls the both of them to safety. Collapsing onto his side and panting with relief, he watches as Little Wolf coughs and sputters.

Hawk runs up and they begin to speak in their strange language:_ Are you alright? Little Wolf?_

_Never better_, she shoots Khan a glare before punching him in the shoulder. He isn't harmed in the least.

"How do you feel?" Khan asks her.

"Like strangling you—you big meanie head!"

"Watch yourself or I'll throw you back in," He growls.

"Not before I kick you!" A brief flicker of pain caresses his stomach just before she jumps to her feet and runs away, throwing up clumps of mud. Hawk smirks at Khan and shrugs.

"I guess she's alright." He says with a sheepish grin.

"Indeed." Khan wipes mud from his eyes and scowls.

**…**

"What do you think your father was like?"

"I already told you, John—I never knowed him." Little Wolf stomps her tiny foot and narrows her eyes at him.

"But what do you _think_ he was like?" He nudges her with his arm and she kicks him in the ankle: she still hasn't forgiven him for 'trying to drown her' even though he apologized. Sort of.

"I don't know…all I know is what I'm good at and what my Mom isn't. So, I guess I got that from him. I like to draw, so I guess he did too. I like building things and figuring 'em out. I like jokes and stuff and my Mom always gets on to me for 'em 'cause she said they're bad but I don't see how: they're funny. I know my Mom has green eyes and lighter hair than mine; so, my dad must have had dark hair like you and blue eyes." She shrugs. "I know the people aren't violent but I can fight if I have too. I don't think my people would have liked him very much. They don't like learning if it messes with 'tradition' and fighting is always bad.

She continues to babble on: "But my brother acts more like her but he's still little. We've got the same dad, he and I. One day, I'm gonna see if I can find him, and my Mom, and save my brother from the Orphanage. Mom said he had died but I ain't never seen his grave. I think that means he might still be out there. Somewhere." She exhales loudly.

"You two are strange." Sharp Quill mutters as she rolls by.

"Look who's talking! You ate cooked rat last night! That's just nasty!" Little Wolf snaps back and Khan doesn't even bother hiding the smirk that follows. It was humorous seeing such a small and breakable creature be so cocky: it was like watching a Chihuahua give orders to a Rottweiler.

"That's rude." Khan comments cooly.

"So it lying, but that didn't stop Jonah from doing it. He lied to the People and stole some of us away—and that's where the Augments came from."

"Right…" Khan rolls his eyes. _That was almost as realistic as flying pigs! Everyone knew that the scientists created Augments. That their superior DNA was a result of genetic enhancements._

**…**

"Be careful," Little Wolf warns loudly. "Mine field coming up ahead."

And then she stops. Her head tilts as she listens carefully. Khan tenses by her side and instantly looks upwards as though expecting to see a battalion of Star Ships descending upon them, but the skies were clear. What was she listening to?

"Is something wrong?" He asks and then she rushes forward—a blinding streak of color that disappears into the forest. Khan rushes after her but freezes by the edge of a clearing—the mine field. Little Wolf, to Khan's dismay, continues to run forward with wild abandon with arms outstretched towards a figure—a woman—standing in the middle of the field.

"MOM!" She screams just as she jumps up and wraps her arms around the woman who instantly hugs her back.

"I don't believe it." Sharp Quill mutters. "The Woman Out of Time…"

Khan's heart almost stops beating. He knew this woman. He knew her. He had known her before escaping Sector 31 with his family to rule over the Earth. He had laughed with her, loved her. They had been together intimately but…this was impossible. That was years ago. _Hundreds_ of years ago. How was she here? _Here_ of all places? No, forget that—how was she even _alive_? And Little Wolf—Little Wolf called her _Mom_.

Was it possible she was…?

_No!_

No this was impossible! _Crazy!_

But if he could survive the ravages of time…was it possible she did was well and with children? _His_ Children…?

"Hello, Khan." The woman—Silver Moon—says evenly before setting Little Wolf on the ground between them. Little Wolf's eyebrows furrow with confusion.

"No, Mom. That's _John_, not Khan." She corrects.

"Is it now?" Silver Moon narrows her eyes at him but Khan's face doesn't reveal any of the turmoil boiling within him. "Well,_ John,_ how are you?"

His eyes narrow as he assesses her. She moves slightly to put herself between him and her child and he watches her do it with calm blue eyes. He had no desire to harm Little Wolf—surely she knew that? He had never personally slaughtered any children before: he had men do it for him, but that was different. Those were the children of rebels. Traitors.

"I'm doing fine." He says smoothly while Little Wolf looks back and forth between them.

"What are you doing here?" A hard edge enters her voice. "Why are you traveling with my daughter?" She glares at him.

"I needed a guide."

"Alright, children." Sharp Quill slowly climbs out of her wagon and limps over to the trio. The children watch from a distance as though sensing the invisible storm crackling overhead. "We need to get a move on." She glares at Khan and then Silver Moon.

"And where are we going?" Silver Moon crosses her arms over her chest irritably.

"To Riverweed, Mom."

"What?" She turns on the child quickly and for a moment Khan is sure she's going to strike the child. "Are you crazy? That place is dangerous, young lady! You have no business going there!"

"But—"

"But nothing!" Her arms wrap around the girl's wrist tight enough to leave bruises. "You're coming with me!" She begins to drag Little Wolf away but Sharp Quill smacks the woman hard with her cane. Silver Moon wheels around to glare at her but Sharp Quill doesn't even flinch.

"And go where? Everything is gone. Our villages were destroyed and our people scattered. Once we get this young man to Riverweed, we're going to send out a call to round everyone together."

"And after that?" She questions the old woman. "What then?"

"I don't know. The invaders are calling for our blood. I suppose we'll go into hiding." The old woman sighs right before Little Wolf wriggles free.

"I'm taking John to Riverweed—and you can't stop me! I promised I'd get him there and I will."

"You promised, huh?"

"I did."

"Well," She looks over at Khan and then Sharp Quill. "Let's get moving then."

**…**

Khan and Silver Moon sneak out of the camp after the others have fallen asleep. Unbeknownst to them a certain little girl follows them, taking extra care to soundlessly melt into the shadows.

"How are you alive?" Khan asks once they're far enough away so that their voices won't wake the others.

"I escaped the compound and ran away on a stolen ship before crash landing back on my planet—this planet. We lived here for about year until it was apparent Star Fleet had influence here as well. So, I cryogenically froze us. I put the kids in one pod and me in another. The river separated us."

"The children. Who is their father?" Khan demands.

"Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answer? You are, Khan. You're their father." Silver Moon says softly.

The news hits him like a ton of bricks. Father? He was a father? The thought was preposterous—she must be lying. But she wasn't. Her eyes gave it away. Every word she had just spoken was the truth. That didn't make it any easier to digest. A small gasp sounds to his left. Khan turns just in time to see Little Wolf's foot disappear from view.

**Please review and tell me what you think :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Her feet devour the miles as flee races away wildly, not caring who sees her.

_Dad?_

_What?_

_He_ _was_ _her_ Dad?

It was too much too soon. Her mother had always said her father's people were bloodthirsty monster who devoured and destroyed whatever they wanted to and felt no regret. They killed without caring, without feeling. Entire villages were swallowed by their greedy hands and they strived for more blood.

More death.

_But_…

John wasn't like that. He was her friend. She could spill water on him and he'd chase her down and get even—it was game. A fun game. He never tried to hurt her. If she was scared at night, she could go snuggle next to him and he would not mind. They shared food and laughs and he was teaching her to write in his language and recognize his numbers to be able to count. John wasn't bad: he was nice. Weird, yes, but he was cool in his own strangle little way.

But he couldn't be her Dad—that be too weird.

So, she runs and allows her mind to roam freely. It skips through the hills and climbs nimbly up the trees. It wanders over the uneven ground and combs its invisible fingers through the grass and pricks its fingers on sharp thorns.

After a few moments more, Little Wolf darts high into the arms of an awaiting tree and relaxes against its bumpy trunk. John was her Dad? No, her Mom was mistaken—she had to be. There was no way John was evil like his people. John was just John—that was it. He was her _friend,_ not her _Dad_.

**…**

It doesn't take long for her to notice the loud, calculated footfalls following patiently after her. Little Wolf smirks and pushes herself closer into the tree. She'd know those footsteps anywhere: it was John. Well, he was about to get the shock of a lifetime. Hopefully, he didn't throw her back into the river. She shuddered inwardly. That would not end well at all the last time. He pauses at the base of her tree and looks up. Icy blue eyes burn in the moonlight.

"I know you're up there." He purrs.

"Then catch me." She says just as she jumps.

His hands spring upwards and catch her easily under the armpits. She giggles as he lowers her down so that their faces are parallel to one another. His eyes sweep up and down, memorizing every little detail before hugging her close.

"Do you have a death wish?" His voice rumbles quietly. "Jumping out of trees is hardly a wise idea."

"I knew you'd catch me."

"You're too trusting." He complains.

"You're too tall," She counters evenly and his chest rumbles as he chuckles.

"Am I now?" He stretches his arms out to hold her away from him so he can see the smile lighting up her face.

"Uh huh." She says. He then traps her against his chest with one arm and tickles her with the other. She squeals and tries to pull away but Khan only tickles her harder.

"Am I still too tall? Am I?" He laughs as he continues to tickle her lightly.

"No!" She giggles as she tries-and fails-to wiggle away from him. "You win! You win!"

Chuckling, he puts her gently on the ground and she smirks up at him: "How do you feel?" He asks.

"Fine." She yawns widely.

"Getting tired are we?"

"No!" She shakes her head and another yawn takes control.

Smirking, Khan picks her up and holds her to him while he carries her back to camp. When they arrive, he lays her down beside her sleeping mother and cover them both with a quilt from his bag. For a while, he watches them while they sleep as though to reassure himself that they won't vanish every time his eyes closed.

A father. Him. Who would have thought?

It had been a sick experiment created by Sector 31. They wanted more Augments and began to bring in human women, thinking that the two different species would be able to breed and produce viable offspring. Countless women were put into his chambers only to be taken away the next day. He hadn't cared for a single one of them…but…Silver Moon was different.

There was something in her eyes—her small, hesitant smile. They had talked. They had laughed. She out of all the rest had been returned to him again and again. She was the only source of light in his dark and bleak war before he was able to escape his prison. What he didn't know at the time was that all the women he had been with had perished because of the children they carried within them. Their frail bodies just couldn't handle it. When he found out, he was frantic. Had the same fate befallen Silver Moon? Try as he might…he couldn't find her. He had assumed that she had died along with the others and their child with her.

But here they were. Real. Alive. Breathing.

He was a father.

"If you keep smiling like a fool, your face will get stuck that way forever, you know," Sharp Quill informs him. Khan scowls at her and she smirks. "I just thought I'd let you know." With a wink, she snuggles further down into the warmth of her quilts before falling asleep.

He rolls his eyes. The cantankerous old woman was irritating, but she was starting to grow on him a little. He'd let that comment slide. After all, she knows not of whom she speaks to and he'd rather leave it that way for as long as possible.

And as for Silver Moon...So, long as he wasn't a threat to Little Wolf or their other child, Silver Moon wouldn't do anything to bring him harm.

Blackness consumes him. His breathing deepens and evens as he begins to snore. Moments later he's jerked awake as something is applied over his mouth. Blinking, he watches as Little Wolf crawls back over to Silver Moon and cuddles into her side, a roll of duct tape in her hand. Khan exhales loudly through his nose. Why did their kid have to be such a light sleeper?

And where does she keep getting all of this tape?!

**…**

The next morning, he wakes before the others and takes special care to dump a water bottle on Little Wolf's head before hunting out berries and nuts for their breakfast. Little Wolf throws a pinecone at his head irritably.

"Not so funny when it's you who is awoken now is it?" Khan raises an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, go jump in the river!" She grumbles before pulling the quilt up over her head and curling into a ball.

Once, breakfast has been gathered, he yanks her blanket away easily and rouses the others. Little Wolf glares at him and stomps her feet as she nears him.

"Meanie!"

"What did I do?" He feigns innocence and she kicks him in the leg.

_'Little Wolf! You better apologize right now!' _Silver Moon snaps.

_'But, Mom!'_

_'You better listen to your mother, young lady!' _Sharp Quill cuts in.

"Fine. Soooorry, John." She growls before stomping away from him and climbing a tree.

She pouts from the highest branches and ignores the others while they chat and eat. Khan watches her nervously while he eats. What if she fell down? She could be seriously injured! It was like the girl was trying to kill herself! And how could someone who shared his genetic material—superior DNA—be so frail? It was baffling.

"Well, the hamster is certainly running inside that mind of yours. So, tell me, has it reached any conclusions yet?" Silver Moon inquires while Khan holds Beaver and continues to watch Little Wolf carefully.

"No. Nothing yet." He sighs. "Do you want this?" He holds the gurgling baby out to her and she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Nah, I have enough of them, thanks." She smirks at him and he rolls his eyes.

Beaver proceeds to try to pull out Khan's hair. Khan extends his arms away from him to get the baby away from his sensitive scalp, but baby wails and flails his limbs around pathetically. Sighing, Khan brings him back to his chest and endures iy as the child once more pulls on his hair.

"Perhaps I'll reconsider." Silver Moon laughs as pulls the child from him and coos at it. Beaver giggles happily. "Better, love?"

"Much."

**…**

"So…how did you guys meet?" Little Wolf asks as she balances across a fallen log while they cross the river. It was only knee deep for Khan but he still flanks Little Wolf none the less. He was not keen for a repeat of the near drowning-in-the-river episode. Fawn holds on tightly to his neck and Hawk balances on the log behind Little Wolf.

"We met on Earth." Silver Moon says vaguely as she carries Beaver across.

"Where?"

"Work." She and Khan make eye contact and shrug.

"Where you in love?"

This time it is Khan who answers: "We were."

"So," She wobbles unsteadily for a minute before walking onwards. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?" Silver Wolf asks.

"well, you're a mommy and John is a daddy. So…does that make us a big, happy family for ever and ever? Are we still going to Riverweed so John can get home or is this his home now?" She asks.

"I still have to leave." Khan says. "My family needs me."

"Do you have other kids, too?" Little Wolf asks as she hops safely onto the mushy bank.

"No. I don't. Just you."

"And my brother, Fox." Little Wolf corrects.

"Yes. Fox, too." Khan admits.

"Will you miss us?"

"I will." _More than you know, _he admits inwardly. "How far away is Riverweed now?"

"A few hours. I can take you to the ships if I'm extra, super careful, but I'm not allowed to talk. They don't like it when I talk—I get in trouble."

"Why?"

"Because of my nickname and the stupid Buzzard Man."

_Marcus_.

Khan's blood boils.

"Nickname?" He asks. Outwardly, he looks nonchalant and relaxed but inwardly his rage burns white-hot.

" 'The Revolutionary'. That's why he wants us all dead. I went from city to city after he burned down our village to warn the others about the Invaders...he didn't like it. He was going to kill all of us because of the things I was saying but the King talked him out of it. He said it was my words that were bad so, that was what they banned. If I talk in public, I get in trouble. Lots of trouble."

"What happened the last time you spoke in public?" He looks down at the girl and she shrugs.

"I don't want to talk it. I don't never want to talk about it."

**…**

**That night:**

"Shh!" Little Wolf whispers to Zevi. "Stay quiet and guard the camp." Khan wakes up. "I'll be back soon. Stay."

She runs silently into the trees and races towards the nearby city.

It was time to free her little brother from his prison. Unknown to her, a certain Augment quietly shadows her every step and he watches as she leaps high up onto the black, wrought iron fence and hauls herself carefully over it. If someone even _thought _about trying to hurt her, he'd split their skull open and burn their cities to the grounds.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

She scales the brick wall effortlessly and perches on the window seal. A flash of silver presents itself as she pulls out a knife and begins to work the window open. Minutes later, she is dropping quietly into the darkened room. No alarms sound. No guards rush out at her. Exhaling quietly with relief, she slinks to the end of the room and eases the door open to peer into the hallway.

_ Awesome! _

She got here just as the guards move to change shifts. Moving quickly, she shoots to the windowless room across the hall. It is lined with empty beds. At the far end is the grubby, white cradle which houses a sleeping Fox. His tiny white cheeks are covered in dirt and grime.

"Wake up," She shakes the three years old's shoulder. "Fox, come on. We got to go." The toddler groans and eases his eyes open.

"Lil' Wolf!" He whispers loudly. "Lil' Wolf!"

_'Shh!'_ She shushes quickly. '_We've got to go. Come on, get up—and be quiet! You don't want to get caught again do you?'_

_'No.'_

_'Good. Then let's go.'_

_'What about the other kids?' _Fox yawns.

_'I'll come back for them one day, but we don't have a lot of time. If they come with us, they'll get hurt real bad.'_

_'Do you promise you'll come back? Promise, Lil' Wolf. Right now,' _The toddler demands.

_'Fine! I promise, alright? Now, let's go!' _Little Wolf says after mimicking Khan's dramatic eye roll.

_'I'm coming! Stop yelling at me!'_ Fox grumbles.

_'I'm not yelling you stupid little-!'_

_'I'm not stupid! Lil' Wolf! Look out!'_

_'What?'_

She turns around just in time to see the boot aimed at her head. It connects brutally and sends her sprawling across the floor. Whimpering, she looks up to see a large guard snickering down at her. His boot flashes forward and cracks painfully into her ribcage. The blow sends her flying into the wall. Pain explodes in her chest and skull, and she whines in pain. The footsteps lurch towards her and a dark chuckle follows it. Fox screams and begins to cry.

_'Lil' Wolf! Lil' Wolf! Get up! I'm sorry! Get up, please!' _Fox begs.

She rolls painfully onto her back as the boots stalk towards her. She attempts to back away from her attacker but the wall won't allow her passage through it. Quickly, she throws her hands up in front of her face in an attempt to avoid the next blow. His boot swings backwards in preparation but, before he has a chance to kick her again, the shadow from the doorway roars like an avenging angel and lunges for his throat. Seconds later the limp carcass of the guard is being hurled into the hallway.

"Could you two be any louder?" Khan growls from the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" She winces as she sits up painfully.

"You aren't as stealthy as you think. I've already disabled the guards. Unless you desire for more people to get hurt, I highly suggest we leave immediately."

_'What did he say? Lil' Wolf? What was he saying?' _Fox whines.

Little Wolf struggles to her feet and pants: '_He said if you don't hurry up, we're going to leave you here and throw all your toys in the river and you'll never see 'em again.'_

_'He can't!'_

_'Oh yes he can and he will, too. He threw me in a few days ago and I barely got out alive. If you don't hurry up, your toys are next and I won't buy you no more.'_

_'No! I'm coming! I promise I'm coming!'_

**…**

Khan jumps the fence easily with Fox and puts him safely on the ground before going back for Little Wolf. Once they're all over, he carries Little Wolf safely in his arms while Fox sits on his shoulders. When he returns to the camp, both children are sleeping and Fox is leaning precariously to one side. Sharp Quill stands on shaky tip toes to grab the boy into her frail arms.

"Hm. So this is the famous Fox, huh?" She asks Khan. He grunts sleepily in response. "Well, he's sure gonna be a looker when he grows up. Here. Let's trade, young man. I'll take the girl, you grab the boy."

"Is she going to be alright?" Khan asks.

"Little Wolf? Of course, she'll be fine. It looks like her ribs are cracked but they'll heal soon enough-don't you worry none about that. The People heal three times faster than the average Augment. Where do you think your people got their healing abilities? Their intelligence?" She shakes her head. "And you think _we're_ the ignorant ones." She takes Little Wolf from him and lies her down close to the fire. "The trick is to keep her warm. The Fever will come but once it breaks, she'll be fine."

"Is it dangerous? The Fever?" A pang worry stabs him in the chest.

"It can be, but she'll be fine. These injuries are nothing to worry about. They're superficial. In a few minutes, they won't even exist." The old woman reassures him.

An hour later, Little Wolf is fine. The Fever had died down and her injuries had melted away. She groans quietly and cracks her eyes open. Blinking, she raises herself up on one elbow and looks around.

"Feeling better?" Khan asks, careful to keep his voice low lest he wake the others.

"Lots. Are you hurt?"

"No. How is your head? Your ribs? Do they hurt at all?"

"Not no more." She sits up completely and looks at the sleeping forms of her people.

"Any more." He corrects gently. She sticks her tongue out at him. A thought suddenly strikes him. "Listen, is there a lab anywhere around here?"

"What's a 'lab'?"

"A place where people do experiments."

"Scientists?"

"Yes." He says impatiently.

Her nose scrunches up while she thinks. "There's an old one not too far from here that the Invaders used to use but there was a fire in it. The stuff may not work."

"Can you show me where it is?"

"Yeah, we can go right now. They're gonna be asleep for just about forever. We'll have plenty of time. Zevi, you come with us. Alma," She looks at the groggy Sehlat. "You stay here."

**…**

It takes only ten minutes to get the lab. It looks like a modern house from the outside. Inside, it has a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom…bedrooms…

"This is not a lab," Khan sighs. "This is a house."

"No, it's a lab. They hid it behind the books. It's too heavy for me to move—you have to do it."

"What books?"

"Right there. The shelf."

He pulls on the shelf revealing a set of stairs descending into pitch darkness.

"Stay behind me." Khan warns as he begins to climb down.

Little Wolf holds onto a fistful of Khan's shirt as she follows after him clumsily. Her other hand brushes against the wall and accidently hits a switch. Blinding light attacks them from above. Little Wolf's foot slips and she tenses and she lurches past Khan. His hand flies forward and grabs her by the back of her shirt before she has a chance to get injured.

"Be careful." He growls before setting her back down again behind him.

"_You_ be careful," She shoots back. Inwardly, Khan groans. Was he this difficult as a child? This clumsy?

"Just stay close. Come on." He creeps forward again slowly. Rolling her eyes, Little Wolf jumps past him and hops quickly down the stairs. "Little Wolf!"

"There's no one here. There's no point taking all day to get down here! Ain't nobody been here in forever!" She complains.

"You should still be cautious!"

"Of what? Dust rabbits?" With that, she walks out of his view.

Khan wants to pick the girl up by the throat and slam her into a wall again and again. Couldn't she see the how dangerous this could be for her? If someone was lurking down here, she could get hurt—or worse. Why must be she so stubborn? She was so irritating!

Khan enters the lab. There is definite ash residue but none of the equipment seems to be damaged. Carefully, he picks up a syringe and draws a vial full of his blood before picking up a second syringe.

"Little Wolf, give me your arm." Khan requests.

"No." She backs away from him and shakes her head.

"It's not going to hurt. I just need to take some blood. That's it."

"Why?" She asks.

_'Why'?_ Khan thinks. Because that way he could see if they were_ truly_ related. He wasn't just going to take someone's word for it—even if he had once loved-and still loved-Silver Moon. This way, he could be sure.

"I need to run a test." He explains carefully.

"What will happen to our blood after the test?" She cocks her head to one side.

"It'll be burned away."_ What else was he going to do with it?! Drink it?_

"…Okay. If it'll get you to shut up and leave me alone about it, old man."

Khan rolls his eyes but says nothing. So long as he can conduct his test, he doesn't care what she says.

She walks forward, rolls down her left sleeve and offers up her arm. Gently, he inserts the needle into one of her spidery veins making the girl wince slightly. Khan drawls the blood carefully and then gets to work on comparing the samples. Little Wolf sits on a stool a few tables away and waits.

And waits.

Waits...

"I'm going to go explore the other rooms." She announces loudly as she hops back down to the floor. Zevi wags his tail and looks up at her before flicking his tongue across his lips. Little Wolf smirks at her dog before looking up to meet Khan's calm gaze.

"Be careful," Khan says.

"I _knooow_." She sighs. "Jeez. I'm not a _baby_." She complains as she leaves the room.

"Of course not. Not even an_ infant_ can get into as many dangerous situations as you, my dear."

"I heard that!"

**…**

Positive.

Their DNA was a _positive_ match.

Silver Moon was telling truth. He was father. _Little Wolf's_ father.

Lord, help them both.

**…**

"What are you doing?" Khan inquired with a tilt of his head. Little Wolf is sitting in a small library. In her hands is an upside down book. Her eyebrows are furrowed in confusion. Zevi yawns and wags his paintbrush tail in greeting at the Augment.

"Reading a story."

"About?"

"I don't know. I can't read."

"Perhaps we should work on that." He takes the book from her hands and looks at it: it was about the Eugenic Wars. "Why don't we pick a different one? One less…violent?"

The last thing he wanted for was for his daughter to think he was a monster. The faster he got that book out of her hands, the better.

"Hang on." She sits up and takes it back from him. "Look. You're in it. See? This picture right here? That looks like you."

"So it does." Khan vows to kill the author of the book should they still be alive. "What about this one instead? The one with the cats on it?"

"Why are you in the book, John? Why do you look angry?"

"Maybe I was having a bad day." He says, allowing a fraction of his irritation to leak into his voice in an effort to warn her away from this topic: she doesn't take the bait.

"Must have been a really bad one." She comments.

His face in the photo was twisted with blinding, uncontrollable rage that had burned his body from the inside out: it had been the day he learned that the humans planned to slaughter him and his entire crew.

"You look scary." She says quieter. Khan sighs and sits down beside her.

"So, what I'm hearing is…you don't think I look 'fabulous'?" He uses one of her favorite words to try to steer her away from the him being a merciless-genocidal-maniac- topic. Khan earns a giggle from her.

"You always look fabulous, John! Always!" She laughs harder and hugs his arm, hiding her face behind his elbow. Khan smirks.

"Your mongrel is looking tired." Khan comments. "It may be time to head back to camp."

"Oh, right! Get up, get up! Come on! They'll wake up soon and they won't be happy to see us gone! Come on, John! Hurry!"

Then she's running out the room. Zevi sits up quickly and stares after her. With a yawn, he slowly gets to his feet, stretches, and then bolts after her. Smirkng, Khan follows not too far behind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Last one's there's a rotten egg!" Little Wolf announces before kicking Khan in the heel and running quickly ahead of him.

"You're cheating!" Hawk declares.

"Little Wolf! No fair!" Hawk whines. "You got a head start!"

"You better hurry up! You're both going to lose if you don't!" Little Wolf laughs as she increases her speeds and runs towards their improvised finish line: a large oak tree.

"So, is Fox is my child as well?" Khan asks Silver Moon. The boy looked just like Khan, but Khan was trying his best to convince himself that it was merely a coincidence.

"He is." Silver Moon says. Her green eyes watch the children as they romp through the thick underbrush and jog towards the river; Little Wolf leads the pack.

_Of course. Like father, like daughter, _she thinks ruefully.

"Impossible." They had been together for a _month_. That was it. _One_ month. How was it possible they had two children two years apart? Something wasn't adding up.

"I was pregnant with fraternal twins, Kh—_John_." She explains patiently. "They took one of the eggs out—Fox. Two years after Little Wolf was born, they put the zygote back inside me."

She had been one month along with Little Wolf when they had her transferred to a different facility far away from where they had Khan caged. Little Wolf was born to be an experiment and they treated her as such. They inject unknown chemicals into her blood stream just to see how she would react. Silver Moon never even got the chance to hold her outside of feeding the girl.

After Fox was born, she managed to steal a ship and escape into space as she fled back to her people and left her life of captivity behind. Two years later, Star Fleet had caught up. So, she had frozen them. When she had awoken, she had been alone—the other pod nowhere in sight. She had woken up two weeks ago; the children had been reanimated a year ago.

"That's…" Khan is at a loss for words.

"I know, but it's better now." She lays her hand on top of his for a moment.

"Did you truly think I would harm her?" Khan asks quietly and a world of pain shimmers in his raging ice blue eyes. "Did you?"

"I didn't know. I know what you did when you finally escaped: we aren't _that_ technologically challenged. For all I knew, my daughter—"

"_Our_ daughter." Khan corrects Silver Moon instantly and his eyes burn with a self-loathing fire.

Shouldn't he have sensed he had offspring? How could he be left in the dark like this? His senses that were so strong, so acute, were useless when it came to finding out this bit of information. In this situation, he may as well have been some ordinary man for all the help his 'superior' genes gave him.

How long had he known the child—_his_ child? Months? How many times had he seen her smile—_his smile_—eclipse her face? How many times had he seen her blue eyes—_his eyes_—light up with glee, mischief, or curiosity? How had he missed that she was good at reading people _like him_? That she liked to fix things, liked to mess with people _like him_? That she was highly intelligent _like him_? How could he—_Khan Noonien Singh_ of all people—have missed it?

"Our daughter was simply a means to an end. You'd get what you wanted and then snap her neck and leave her for dead in a field? How did I know you weren't going to kill her like you had so many countless others, _John_? What could she possibly have meant to you before you knew she was your own flesh and blood? She was just another loose end that would have needed to be 'taken care of' later on."

"I would_ never_ do that. Not to her. Not to Little Wolf. Not to my daughter." His voice is even, but Khan wants to yell and hit something so hard it shattered!

"But how many people did you do that to? How many _hundreds_? How many _thousands_? You can't blame me for not taking that chance."

He felt like such an idiot! And Silver Moon was right. She was correct in fearing for her daughter's life when she saw him near her. Khan was dangerous, pure and simple. If he wanted that girl dead, he wouldn't have shown her a shred of mercy even after all the help she's given him.

Screams of pure terror interrupt them.

"The children!" Sharp Quill cries out from her wagon. "Hurry!"

He may not harm Little Wolf but he was going to slaughter those who wished her and her friends harm. Khan was going to make the cowards, who dared prey upon the children, rue the very day that they were born. He was going to make them beg for mercy at his feet just for the privilege of him crushing their skulls and ending their pathetic existences. No one messes with his family and gets away with it.

No one.

**…**

"Little Wolf! Look out!" Hawk yelps. Little Wolf darts quickly to the side and the phaser blast sails over her shoulder, missing her by mere inches. That was definitely too close for comfort. "Hurry! To the river!" Hawk shouts over his friend's screams.

The three children race for the water but hesitate uncertainly at its slippery edge. The current roared and bared its foamy white teeth at them, daring them to step in so that it could drag them beneath and greedily steal the sweet air from their lungs. Despite Khan taking time to show them all how to swim, the monstrous current would surely drag them all to their premature graves.

"Now what?" Little Wolf asks.

"Now? Now you die." A foreign voice growls.

The children whip around just in time to see the blasts before they hit their chest. Hawk and Fawnl are thrown into the ground but Little Wolf stumbles backwards from the impact, arching her back and swinging her arms wildly to regain her balance before the river could swallow her up again, but it wasn't to be. With a scream, she falls in.

"Alright," The voice asks coolly. "Who's next?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry guys for taking FOREVER to finish this chapter. I've been a bit distracted.**

**Chapter 13**

Khan runs as fast as he can. He reaches the edge of the trees just as the phaser goes off a second time, throwing Hawk into the starving river with Little Wolf. His tiny head vanishes beneath the surface just as Khan reaches and kills the man-a Starfleet Security Officer. Fawn moans and rolls to her feet, clutching her chest and wincing in pain.

"Where are the others?" Khan demands.

"The water," She croaks out.

"Hawk!" Khan hears Little Wolf scream out from a distance. "Grab my hand! Hurry!"

A loud roaring washes over Khan as he races along the bank, his sharp blue eyes frantically searching for any sign of life.

"Help!" Hawk screams.

"Grab my hand! Hurry!" Little Wolf yelps back.

Khan runs faster. He ignores the thorns slicing through his jeans and tearing at his flesh. He ignores the pain shooting up his legs and the blood dripping onto the greed forest floor. His heart pounds faster. And faster. The roaring grows louder until it is an almost deafening shriek: a waterfall.

And then he sees them.

Little Wolf has climbed onto a low hanging branch overlooking the waterfall and is reaching out a soaked hand towards the river. A sputtering Hawk is being thrown cruelly against the rocks, his head disappearing from view every so often.

"Grab my hand!" Little Wolf screams frantically as Hawk reappears. "Hawk! Come on!"

Khan could easily see that if the boy didn't grab her hand soon, he was dead for sure, but if he did grab Little Wolf, they were both doomed. There was no way she would be able to pull him up onto the branch with her and not fall in herself. Khan jumps agilely into the tree and grabs Little Wolf just as her hand closes around Hawk's wrist.

And then she falls.

The river reaches out for her with greedy arms off water that slap her across her face. Her hand clenches Hawk's wrist tighter as her chest sinks beneath the icy river's surface, but Khan has a good hold on her ankle. Quickly, he pulls her up high enough to grab both her and the boy. After a few moments the trio is back on the bank. Little Wolf pants and sinks to her knees in the mud.

"So," She pants looking at Khan. "How was your day?"

He pushes her over in agitation before rising fluidly to see feet; she laughs.

**…**

"I can't believe this happened. That's it! You kids are staying closer to us for now on." Silver Moon rants.

"Mom!" Little Wolf whines.

"Don't 'mom' me, young lady! You could have been killed!" Silver Moon snaps.

"But I'm fine!" Little Wolf insists.

"And how much longer would you have been if _he_ hadn't have shown up?" Silver Moon gestures to Khan and he scowls at her.

Why is she involving _him_ in this? All they were doing was wasting time. _His_ time. The girl was uninjured as was the friend. Who cared what happened and how so long as the _result_ was desirable? Both children were safe and unharmed—that was good enough for him.

"That's not fair. If those idiots hadn't have shown up none of this would have happened. Why are getting punished because of someone else's choices?" Little Wolf crosses her arms over her chest and glares back at her mother defiantly. "I'm alive aren't I?"

"You. Could. Get. Hurt!" Silver Moon's eyes narrow.

"But I'm _not_ hurt. I'm fine—and our people aren't as weak as the other ones. We heal faster. What does it matter if we get hurt every now and then? As long as we're _breathing_, we're okay."

"You're staying closer to the group: where it's safer."

"But I _am _safe. I've been just fine all this time _without_ you and will do just as well now. I'm not a baby! I can take of myself, you know. I don't the _'protection of the group'_. I do just fine on my own."

"And how did that work out in the river?" Silver Moon counters.

"I _got out_, did I?"

"You're staying closer to the group and that is final!"

"No I'm not." Little Wolf.

With that, she runs on ahead. Silver Moon calls after her but Little Wolf won't hear of it. She merely speeds up, keeping at least twenty yards between her and the others.

"I'm going to strangle her." Silver Moon seethes that night as the fire cackles mocking at her. "I swear this all your fault."

"My fault?" Khan says calmly as he raises an eyebrow at her. "How on Earth did you arrive to that conclusion?" A mild flame of irritation burns in his chest.

"She's just like you—bullheaded, intelligent, thinks she's invincible." Khan smirks at that. So far, Silver Moon was spot on. "She gets it from you."

"It means that she's a survivor. She likes to figure things out and think for herself, and she is right, you know. During your absence, she had to figure out how to survive and keep both her and her brother from harm. She isn't as frail as you think." His eyes flicker to look at the crouching figure in the shadows, staying just out of reach from the firelight. She was listening to him.

"I know." Her words are softer than a whisper and full of heart wrenching regret. Khan lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "None of this should have ever happened."

"There's no point regretting the past. What's done is done. Let the children explore and stretch out their metaphorical wings. Keeping them locked up will do them no good; should a problem arise, they wouldn't be able to surpass it without experience. Let them learn. When it gets too difficult, they'll call out for help like they did the last time."

"And if they die?" Silver Moon looks at him wearily. Khan cups her cheek gently with his hand and leans in so close that their noses are a hair's breath away from each other.

"Natural Selection." He jokes and Silver Moon punches him in the stomach.

All the air leaves his lungs and he doubles over, gasping. Growling, he reclaims his breath just long enough to tackle the woman to the ground. He smirks down arrogantly at her and she sticks out her tongue in defiance.

"Come now," He purrs. "There's no need to get childish."

"This is childish!" A string of spit flies up and catches him in the face. Surprised, he jerks backwards and falls onto his back. Growling, he wipes the saliva from his eyes and just barely catches sight of a laughing Silver Moon running through the trees.

_And there is where Little Wolf got her flare for mischief_, Khan thinks ruefully as he stalks after the woman.

"You will pay for that!"

"No, I won't!" She runs forward but it's no problem, really. Khan will catch her, sooner or later.

**…**

_'They're weird_,' Little Wolf comments calmly as she walks easily back into camp.

_'They're in love_,' Fox grins and his eyes twinkle knowingly. 'T_hat's what they're supposed to do.'_

_'Gross. I'm never going to be love. It makes you act funny_,' Fawn declares and next to her Hawk nods in agreements. Sharp Quill rolls her eyes.

_'But they're happy—that's good, right?' Fox_ asks with a yawn.

_'Yeah. I guess so.' _Little Wolf shrugs_. 'But they are still weird.'_

"Go to sleep," Sharp Quill orders. "All of you."

"I'm not tired." Little Wolf complains.

"Little Wolf , if you say that you're not tired one more time and I'll beat you within an inch of your life. Go on, I dare you," The old woman threatens and Little Wolf shuts up instantly.


	14. Chapter 14

**I didn't get distracted again while working on this chapter…you can prove nothing. Also, I've added in a hint of romance/love. I don't know—I think it was okay. Tell me what you think.**

**Chapter 14**

"Come on, old man! You can't catch me!" Silver Moon yells over her shoulder as she quickens her pace. Effortlessly, she bounds over the rough terrain and dodges nimbly through the trees. Khan smirks in amusement as he rushes after her. In the end, he would catch her. It was only a matter of time.

"Is that a challenge?" He growls right before he grabs her around her wastefrom behind and hugging her tightly against her chest. She squeals and flails her arms while she tries to wiggle away but he merely tightens his boa-constrictor like grasp, being careful not to harm her too severely with his superior strength.

"What the matter, my dear? Can't handle the sharp sting of defeat?" Khan purrs as he swings her lightly from side to side.

She swats him sharply on the shoulder and wiggles harder: "Let me go!" She whines and his chest rumbles as he chuckles darkly.

"And why would I do that," He smirks at her and she glares at him defiantly. "When this is so much fun?"

"Khan!" She hits him again in the shoulder and he pretends to wince in pain in an effort to make her feel better—it works as he thought it would. She laughs good-naturedly and he sets her down carefully on her feet before feigning innocence, making her laugh even harder.

"Hey, come on." She grabs his arm lightly and tugs him towards her, "I want to show you something."

"Is it mass genocide?" Khan raises an eyebrow. "Or the skulls of my enemies?"

"No…?" Silver gives him a bewildered look and he smirks playfully.

"I suddenly find myself losing interest." He fakes a yawn and she rolls her eyes at him.

God, how he had missed her! How had he survived all this time without her mischievous antics? Her laugh? That twinkle in her shining, emerald eyes? All he wanted to do was hold her close and never let go. To listen to her heart beat in time with his own while they wished the world away…

"Ugh, come on." She smacks him lightly, breaking him sharply from his thoughts, and then she breaks into a run.

After a moment's hesitation, he follows after her. She was a strange one, this woman, but he still had to admit, he loved every minute of it. Silver Moon was an enigma that was constantly keeping him guessing—she was the one puzzle he was completely helpless to solve.

**…**

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asks him, her face tilted towards the sky where hundreds of glowing paper lanterns from the next village over soar into the pitch black night sky. Her green eyes are wide with wonder as she soaks it all in.

He cups her cheek, "Not as beautiful as you." Her large eyes look to him, surprised, but he merely smiles warmly at her before kissing her gently on the forehead, "We should be getting back to the others. Who knows what trouble _our_ daughter has gotten them into by now?" He smirks again. "She probably lit the whole camp on fire just to observe how the flames looked while consuming different types of man-made materials…or maybe she threw Hawk into the river just to see how long it would take for him to breech the surface of the water once more when he came up for air."

Silver Moon laughs and leans into him, hugging him lightly around the chest before dancing away from him.

"Race you," She challenges before springing away and rushing ahead, the lanterns forgotten.

"You're cheating!" Khan complains but Silver Wolf doesn't even grace him with a backward glance—she merely runs faster.

"No I'm not! It's called _winning_!"

**…**

"Little Wolf?" Sharp Quill says quietly. "I know you're awake."

"No, I'm not." The girl mumbles groggily and she snuggles further into her blankets, willing herself to fall once more into the sweet, sweet embrace of slumber. "I'm," She yawns, eyes still closed. "Sleeping…"

Zevi begins to growl quietly and his hackles stand straight up as a foreign sound assaults his ears. Danger had found them.

"Little Wolf? Did you hear that?" Sharp Quill whispers. "Little Wolf! Wake up!"

"What? What is it?"

"A twig snapped."

"Probably just Mom and," She yawns widely, "John."

And then Zevi is on his feet. With a growl, he rushes for the treeline but he never reaches his invisible foe. A beam of light slices into his brown and white body, throwing him sharply into a tree.

"Too bad it's not."

A figure steps into the firelight and Sharp Quill gasps. The children are awake in seconds but it's too late. The darkness has already been awoken. The shadows come to life and slither forward, revealing more and more figures wrapped in black clothes, all of them heavily armed.

"Run, kids!" Sharp Quill barely has enough time to get the words out before the phaser blasts fill the air, but she wasn't quick enough. One by one, each blast finds its mark and leaves them immobile. Still.

"Well that was surprisingly easy. Let's bag 'em." The figure orders before melting back into the shadows.

**…**

"Where are they?" Silver Moon freezes at the treeline when she sees the abandoned camp sight. The fire had died and a frenzy of footprints had bled into the earth. "What happened here? Khan?" She frowns.

"An Ambush." Khan says instantly. "At least twenty men had surrounded the camp."

"But _where_ are they?"

"It looks like they went east. Must be slave traders or something of that sort…where are you going?"

"They have our children—what do expect me to do? Run away?"

"They have at least three hours on us and you're unarmed. What are you going to do when you catch up to them, hm? Throw rocks at them? Exchange insults and pray they don't fire upon you—or the children for that matter? These men are trained fighters, Silver Moon: they wouldn't have no qualms about bloodshed. If they wanted the chilldren to be dead, they would be."

"And how do you know their alive, huh?" She glares at him and he can see tears beginning to form in her eyes. "How do you know they haven't killed my babies?" Moisture drips down her cheeks. "How? Huh?"

"You don't see any bodies, do you?" Khan asks coldly and then punches himself internally in the face. Repeatedly. "Look," He says, his voice softer. Kinder. Gentler. "They're going to be alright. We'll get them back."

She stares at for a minute before nodding, "Alright."

A quiet whimper then greets their ears. Silver Moon swivels to see a part of the dirt beginning to move. Khan takes a step forward, putting himself between Silver Moon and whatever monster is beginning to emerge from the dust.

And then it barks.

A smirk fills Khan's face. Apparently, the intruders hadn't taken _everything_. _This_, he thinks, _will be their downfall._

"Zevi?" Khan purrs and he's greeted by another quiet woof. "Come here," He coaxes. "Come on."

The Augment pats his side and the dog slowly, painfully, limps over to him. Khan examines the animal carefully. It was sore but sported no broken bones.

"Find Little Wolf." He commands.

Immediately, the dog puts his nose to the ground and begins to show them the way.

"You have a solution to everything don't you?"

"I am superior. It would be a logical solution to make, my dear."

"Don't make me hurt you, love. Because I will."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" He raises an eyebrow at her before marching dutifully after Zevi. Silver Moon rolls her eyes at the back of his head but follows the two.

**…**

Their enemy's camp is simple. Neat. There are ten tents and roughly fifteen or so assailants. The children (and Sharp Quill) are bound in the very center of the campsite, near the fire. Little Wolf struggles against the rope tying her hands behind her back and the men around her laugh and jeer when she can't get free, but she doesn't give up.

One walks up and punches her hard in the face, drawing blood. She flinches at the contact but then glares at him defiantly. He merely laughs and pats her head.

"How long do you think this one will last?" He jabs in her in the chest with each word that spews forth from his mouth.

"I give her three days tops." One of the men speculates.

"That will be far longer than any of you will survive," Khan growls savagely as he emerges from the shadows.

The first man barely has time to scream before Khan is crushing his windpipe between his fingers. Little Wolf breaks free from her bonds and flees into the forest, her head spinning wildly as more and more blood stains the ground. Phaser blast after phaser blasts hits Khan but he refuses to go down. Running on pure undiluted rage, he slaughters the entire camp in mere minutes before turning slowly, as if in a daze, to free their terrified captives. He approaches Fawn first. She takes on look at him and begins to squeal and cry with horror making him freeze in his tracks.

"It's alright." Silver Moon puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get them. You find Little Wolf."

_And then what?_ Khan wonders.

Surely _by now_ the girl was seeing him as the monster Star Fleet was hell bound to shape him into. She wouldn't see his heart—his intentions. All she would see was the blood and gore coating his hands. She wouldn't hear his words of comfort, of reassurance. They would be blocked by the agonizing screams of the men.

But he still goes off in search of the child. Little Wolf may not care for him at the moment but he was damned if he was going to stand here and let her get into any more trouble tonight.

**Sorry about the wait.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry for making you guys wait forever. I had intended to update immediately but then I got writer's block…and subsequently forgot that I even had a fanfiction to update. I reread the entire work this morning to reacquaint myself with the story line. Hopefully this chapter makes up for forcing you guys to wait so long for an update. **

**Chapter 15**

The forest was dead silent. Khan crept slowly through the trees and tried to look for any sign that Little Wolf had been there. There was nothing. His blue eyes glowed softly in the darkness as he moved from tree to tree…and then he heard it: a quiet, barely audible sniffle.

"Little Wolf?" He growled quietly as he moved to the left.

A quick dart of motion exploded towards him and small hands clamped around his leg. Khan tensed and slowly moved his hands downwards. He picked the girl up gingerly and _hugged_ her lightly to his chest. Her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck and she buried her head into his shoulder.

"It's alright," he murmured. "It's alright now. Everything is okay. I've got you." He whispered the words quietly into her ears and slowly sat down on the ground and leaned against a _tree_ trunk. "I've got you, Little Wolf. You're okay. You're safe now."

She calmed after a while. Carefully, Khan got back to his feet and made his way back to the enemy camp.

"How is she?" Silver Moon moved towards him frantically and looked at the child. "Is she hurt?"

"No," Khan said softly. "She's just sleeping and the others?"

_"Shaken_ up, but otherwise they're fine," Sharp Quill says before hitting Khan lightly with her cane. Her gives the elderly woman a sharp look. It'd be a shame if she were to suddenly go missing one day on their travels, Khan thought coldly as he watched the frail lady shuffle forward.

She looks at him over her shoulder: "Hey, give us some advance warning next time you two decide to run off. The little one is driving me batty enough without you two taking off as well."

Khan rolls his eyes and looked at Silver Moon. He held Little Wolf closer: "Let's go back to camp, Silver. I've got Little Wolf; you gather the others."

They walked back in silence. Khan quietly laid Little Wolf down and built up the fire as Silver Moon leaned against him.

"Thanks," Silver Moon whispered into Khan's chest as his arms wrapped around her. "I've missed you; even if you are an idiot."

"But you still love me," He purred into her ear and she smiled, curling closer.

"Don't know why," She murmured with a smile. "You're so damn pigheaded."

"Mmm." Khan nodded. "And smart, and brave, and _devilishly_ handsome." His lips curled upward as he placed a light kiss on her forehead.

He lay down, pulling her with him. She rolled over and snuggled into his chest.

"And arrogant," yawn, "and…" She dozed off before finishing her sentence. Khan smiled down at the woman and gently smoothed her hair with a light hand.

"Good night," he whispered into the darkness and he looked over her prone form to gaze at his two slumbering children. He would keep them safe. Nothing would ever hurt them again so long as he was around.

**…**

"So, that summer, Hawk and I went to the river and we covered ourselves in the mud so the Invaders couldn't see us. We put their tent on fire and then we ran away real fast so they couldn't catch us and…"

Khan quickly tuned Little Wolf out as she tried in vain to regale him with the not-so-horrifying tales of her adventures.

"So," Khan looked at Silver Moon and then Sharp Quill. "Who are 'The People'?"

"They are a species of genetically advanced people," Silver Moon explained. "They heal quicker than humans and are typically more intelligent…better stamina. Their DNA was implemented in the original Augment Project. That's where most of the Augmented abilities came from."

"But our strength?"

"No idea. Probably just dumb luck for the scientist who happened upon it. Some of 'The People' were stolen from their homes, their genetic material stolen from them as they were forced into the project. The rest of us moved locations, became nomadic, to avoid being lab specimens."

"That was why you lived whereas the other woman had died." Khan said softly thinking of the human woman who had died carrying his offspring.

It was why Silver Moon had survived and why Little Wolf was so similar to the Augmented people—'The People' were the basis for the Augment's gene pool. In essence, Little Wolf and Fox were entirely augmented. Their strength would probably come to them in time…well, maybe.

"Right." Silver Moon nodded.

"Oh, don't look so sad about it," Sharp Quill swatted at the woman with her cane. "You have two beautiful, healthy children who think the world of you. Stop moping. It's not your fault those woman died when they did."

"So, what happens now?" Silver Moon asked when Sharp Quill passed them to walk with the children. "When we get to Riverweed…what then?"

"I don't know," Khan answered honestly and he could feel the conflicting emotions clashing in his chest.

He could bring them—all of them—with him and risk them perishing on his mission to liberate the Augments locked within their cryotubes from Marcus and subsequently Starfleet, or leave them all here and risk them dying because he can't protect them in his absence. Either way…it was dangerous. He didn't want to bring harm upon the woman he loved, the surly grandmother, or any of the children…but his options were limited.

"Take us with you," Silver Moon pleaded quietly as Fox and Beaver clumsily made their way towards them and held up their arms so Khan would carry them. "Don't leave me. Not again."

Her eyes shimmered with emotion and Khan swallowed as a wave of guilt rose up. He nodded once.

"Alright." His voice came out choked and quiet. "But it'll be dangerous. People will die." His warning was hard and cold but Silver Moon nodded. "I don't want you—or the children—to see what I can become if—"

"You are not a monster." Her arm grabbed his elbow, forcing him to stop. She leaned up on tip-toes to peck his cheek. Her hand cupped his face. "I never would have fallen in love with you if you were."

Love.

She loved him.

After everything he had done. After all the lives he had ended, all the cities he had crushed under his boot without a second thought…after all his mistakes and flaws…still she cared?

"You truly are magnificent," he smiled warmly.

"I know." She grabbed Beaver from him and smiled, "And don't you forget it." With a light kick at his ankle, she resumed walking. "And our children are pretty awesome as well."

Khan looked at Fox. Little Wolf was wild and impulsive. She charged into everything without considering the consequences and dealt with the problems whenever they arose. Fox was quieter—more watchful. His young eyes examined Khan carefully and Khan held still as the three year old's small hand examined his long, black hair. Fox frowned slightly and his tongue poked the inside of his mouth as he pulled Khan's bangs out of his face and peered into Khan's pale, pale blue eyes with his green ones. Then, a small, barely perceptible smile grew on Fox's face as the child seemed to find what he was looking for. Khan smiled back at him and then moved the boy so that Fox was sitting on Khan's broad shoulders.

"Yes, yes they are, Silver," Khan agreed before catching up to her and slipping her free hand in his, while the other held on to Fox's leg…just in case the boy fell backwards. He really couldn't be too careful.

"Hey, John! Do you want to see what happens when I kick a Sapphire Cobra?" Little Wolf yelled and Khan groaned inwardly. Well, he never claimed that their offspring had an abundance of common sense.

"Don't look at me. She gets that from you," Silver Moon sighed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

And there it was.

After weeks of traveling and months of waiting, they were there: Riverweed. He could finally buy a ship and rush out into the darkness of space to save his family. He would desolate Star Fleet's forces and make Marcus pay once and for all…and he'd take his family with him. Little Wolf, Fox, Squirrel, Beaver, Fawn, Silver Moon, and Sharp Quill.

With their help he would rescue his people and return to destroy his enemies. From there…he didn't know. Be a father, maybe—whatever that meant. Maybe he'd marry Silver Moon; why not? She cared for him and he…held her in deep regard. They had children: kind, intelligent, wild children.

The future looked good.

Khan held both of his kids in his arms and looked down at them.

"Ready?" He purred and Little Wolf smiled.

Little Wolf cocked her head to the side: "I'm always ready, old man. Now get a move on before you turn senile or hurt your hip!"

Khan dropped her and pressed lightly on her stomach with his boot. Sharp Quill laughed at the pair of them and shook her head.

"All you people are crazy," She grabbed Khan's elbow and pulled him along. "Come on, then. Looks like I got to do everything around here." She sighed and Khan lifted at eyebrow at her. In all fairness, she really didn't do much of anything. Perhaps, she was bored.

Behind him, Little Wolf jumped to her feet and scurried around them. When they got into town, she slowed and walked behind Khan with her hand fisting into the back of his shirt. Warily, she watched the people coming and going into and out of the shops. About twenty Star Fleet officers watched the group with bored expressions on their faces but they didn't pay them any mind. Khan walked forward with his head held high and Sharp Quill's frail hand guiding him to his destination.

"And here we are." Sharp Quill released him.

Khan looked around. The ships are alright, he guess. There were three that were large enough to handle crews of a few hundred or so. They would have a decent speed but their weapons systems, shield and warp capabilities needed improvement. Khan chose the black ship. He paid for it and they all piled onboard. He steered them into space as they found their rooms.

**…**

"Where are we going?" Little Wolf walked into the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's chair.

"Earth." Khan glanced at her and then looked back at the controls, frowning. They'd need more fuel soon, which was odd: they had left with a full tank. There must be hole somewhere that he hadn't noticed in his inspection. There was blackmarket not too far away that was hidden in a crater; he could make the appropriate repairs there and refuel.

"Why?" Little Wolf jolted him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her and furrowed his brow: "What?"

"Why Earth?"

"My family is there." Back to the controls. The engine was overheating; their shields were malfunctioning.

"Your parents? Aunts? Uncles?" Little Wolf began swinging her feet back and forth and back and forth. Khan ignored her: someone was hailing them. Strange, he didn't see any ships in the vicinity. It was a distress call: biological weapons. Many dead, more needed medical assistance.

_They were being attacked. The enemy ships had Star Fleets logo; would they please come and help? Hello? Was anyone there? Please! Someone come! Don't leave! Don't—! _

An explosion.

End transmission.

"John? What was that? Are they hurt? What happened? John?" She poked him in the should and he switched the communication module off instantly.

"Khan." He corrected quietly as his eyes stared out into the darkness. _Where was that ship?_

"What?" Little Wolf frowned. _Con? A con of what? Soup? Vegetables? Was he hungry? What was he talking about? What did food or cons has to do with everything?_

"My name. It's Khan." He looked at her and saw her worry. Her tiny heart beat rapidly in her chest. "It's alright, little one. You're safe." His hand found her hair. He considered hugging her but decided against it; it would only waste time. He needed to fix the ship or they'd perish like that other vessel…wherever it was.

"Khan what happened to them? Are they alright?"

"No." He stood up and slipped out of his jacket.

Repairs. He needed to make repairs.

_What was wrong again? Oh, right. The engines. Shields._ Ugh, he may as well check the warp core—it was an explosion waiting to happen. They all were. Then he needed to check the electrical lines, and—why not?—look at the replicaters to make sure they were operating correctly. They wouldn't get very far without food, water, and medicine after all. Why didn't he check all of this before? He knew he should have gone with the blue ship—it was faster, but _no_. He just_ had_ to go with the black one.

"Where are you going? Khan?" Little Wolf watched as he walked swiftly from the room. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he never even hear her speak.

**…**

Five hours.

It had taken _five hours_—time he could no longer afford to waste—to check everything. Refueled and repaired, they quickly made up the lost time.

Little Wolf shadowed him wherever he went and every now and then, Fox would follow him as well. Right now, Khan was sitting in the cockpit and programming the ship's autopilot. Fox sat in his lap and watched intently as Khan's fingers tapped and swiped at the monitor.

"I try?" Fox asked hesitantly in English; Silver Moon had been teaching him.

"Not right now." Khan murmered. Fox chatted to Little Wolf for a minute and she gave Fox the English word he was looking for.

"Soon?"

"Maybe." Khan shifted him on his lap and looked around the room. Finding a PADD, he rose to his feet and grabbed the device. He sat back down and pulled up a game on it for Fox.

"Try this," Khan stated and Little Wolf translated for him.

**…**

"Long day?" Silver Moon asked Khan. It was midnight. They were in the cafeteria. Sharp Quill and the children had gone to bed hours ago.

"A bit," he admitted and his blue eyes burned with irritation. He still couldn't believe his own carelessness.

"You'll see them again," She stood up and stretched her back. Khan's calculating gaze followed the motion as he watched her arc her spine and tilt her head backwards.

"What are you looking at?" She asked in a mock stern voice.

"Nothing," he feigned innocence. "Just the wall."

"Oh, really now?" She stalked forward and sat down on his lap, leaning lightly against his chest. "Because I was hoping you were looking at me."

"Well, I don't know," he raised his eyebrows and a corner of his lips began to curl upward. "It's a pretty interesting wall."

She slapped him playfully and he chuckled.

"It's nice to see you, too," she said sarcastically and he chuckled harder. "Maybe I'll just go talk to the wall, then." She made to get up but he pulled her back down. Her mouth opened in protest and he leaned forward, pressing their lips together.

She pulled away: "or maybe not."

He smirked. "No?"

They kissed again. Slowly, she broke away and stood up, pulling him to his feet with a light hand around his wrist.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere," She suggests coyly.

"Perhaps we should." He agrees.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disturbing scenes, violence and accidental domestic child abuse towards the end. Sorry, it just kind of…_happened_. But…hey…there's fluff. That makes it okay…ish. Right?**

**Chapter 17**

"You're not being fair!" Little Wolf complained. "I'm _my tuuuurn_!"

Khan's eyes blazed irritably, "For the twelfth and _final_ time: You. Are. Not. Steering. The. Ship!"

Even Kirk, with all his idiocy, had the intelligence to know when to hold his tongue—particularly if Khan's face radiated danger as it did now.

Little Wolf was not Kirk.

"But you've been driving all day! I want to try!"

"No," Khan dead panned. He inhaled slowly to cool his burning nerves.

"But—"

"There is no discussion. You are the child; I am the parent. There is no negotiation, no changing of the mind. My answer is final."

"Oh yeah?" Little Wolf glared at him, eyes shimmering. "You actually have to be there to be a parent!"

Khan's mouth dropped open in surprise. He had complete control over every single one of his senses at all times, but he couldn't make himself move. Frozen, he watched as Little Wolf ran from the room. Paralyzed, he watched numbly as the door to the cockpit swished closed.

_But it wasn't my fault,_ the thought comes unbidden. _I would have been there._

_If I had known._

_If _Marcus _hadn't…_

It wasn't Khan's fault. It wasn't his fault he had missed half her life—and what did steering the ship even had to do with it? It was a _mechanical _issue, not a _domestic_ one. He would have been there—he would! He was just…

Trapped.

In a cell, thousands of miles below the surface of the planet.

Whipped.

Tortured.

And so, so _alone_. Above him, his family—_the "royal hostages" _as Marcus had dubbed them. The _"guests of honor"_!—stood suspended in the air. If Khan gave even _one _miscalculated move—_just one_—Marcus would gladly starting frying their life supports.

One…by…one.

His cold, lifeless, grey eyes would watch mercilessly as they thawed and clawed at their doors for air while they suffocated slowly on the fluids that had faithfully preserved their lives up until that _exact_ moment.

And Khan would still have had to bend over backwards in order to please the Admiral…

Lest even more of his already dwindling family were to perish as well...because of his rebellion. Because of Khan's actions.

...Eighty five.

That's how many people he had at the beginning of his trip. Eighty five functioning cryotubes. Eighty five hearts and lives suspended in frozen animation, waiting, patiently, to be reawaken into a kinder, more accepting world.

Only seventy two now remained.

Thirteen members of his already endangered species had been murdered as Marcus trained him cruelly to obey his commands _without question_.

And she was upset he wasn't in her life? He placed her in her mother's womb and refrained from snapping her neck all those times she played her infuriatingly childish pranks on him. He had survived long enough to meet her—let alone grow to care for her like one of his own…even before he learned of their blood connection. And she was upset he hadn't shown up sooner?

Let her pout.

Let her cry, scream, and whine until she grew blue in the face.

Khan had nothing to apologize for...But that didn't mean he didn't feel guilty. He should have been there; yes, that much was true. He _should have_ been—and Marcus robbed him of that time.

Robbed him of his sanity. His family.

He didn't even know who to mourn or if any of them even remained alive today. There were Thirty torpedoes in one secure facility three days from their current location and forty two at a section 31 base on Earth. According to the files, all of those torpedoes had been created by John Harrison—an alias Marcus had forced him to use. So, logically…it was them.

It had to be.

Right?

Right.

Yet…he still had a job to do. Marcus would never apologize to Khan. Marcus would support his actions even with his dying breaths. For a moment, Khan imagined his hands curling tightly around the Admiral's frail skull. He imagined himself slowly applying more and more pressure until…yes. _That_ would be a fitting end for the mouse who dared to mock the tiger.

But, Khan was not Marcus—of that much he was sure. Marcus would never apologize or make reparations…but Khan could. You know, if he wanted to.

"Computer." Khan's silky voice commanded quietly as he stood from his chair. "Initiate autopilot. Notify me of any ships that appear on the radar."

He left the room without bothering to confirm the order.

The ship was like a ghost town. The hallways lay bare and empty. All sounds, no matter how silent, echoed painfully throughout the corridors. Where was everybody? Oh, what did it matter where everyone was? He was not looking for 'everyone' he was looking for Little Wolf!

_So…where was she?_

_She wouldn't have gone to the cafeteria—or the gym. Both spaces were too large, too revealing. Her dorm room, too, was not an option—it was too obvious a place to hide. She would have gone somewhere small. A tiny, tightly enclosed space where she could hide and watch his movements unobserved. But how far would she have gone…?_

_Oh._

_That was right. Of course, she was there!_

What was he thinking? It was obvious! So simple! Even a child could have figured it out! Even though…technically…a child did…figure…it…out…eh, doesn't matter. Who cares? He spins on his feet and abruptly rips the air grate off of the wall.

Little Wolf yelps and scrambles backward in surprise. Khan's iron-like grip wraps around her frail, easily breakable wrist. He snatches her instantly out of the small, silver tunnel she had somehow squirmed her way into and hugs her tightly to his chest. She punches him irritably and pummels him with her miniature fists but he doesn't feel the pain. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, her blows grow weaker and weaker as her energy seeps out of her. Defeated, she leans against his chest and listens to his steadily beating heart.

"You were right," Khan murmurs when she is finally still. He backs up against a wall and slides into a sitting position. "I should have been there for you."

"But you weren't." A sad, tired whisper. Tiny, salted tears worm down her checks. Khan lifts a hand and wipes on away.

"No, I wasn't," he agreed softly. "I was not there. I was not there for your birth," He draws in a shuddering breath, "Or your first words, first steps…I wasn't there to save your people—The People—from the Invaders…from Starfleet. I didn't save you when they hurt you over and over again for trying to warn the other villages of the dangers the Invaders posed to them…but I would have wanted to be. _Had_ I known._ Had_ I been able to be there, I _would_ have been. Little Wolf—"

"Go away." Her voice had lost its fight.

"_No_," his voice was calm. Tender. "No, I'm _never_ going away again. I've missed your entire life thus far," he buried his nose and mouth into her hair, "and I _refuse_ to miss _another second_ of it." Khan paused to reign in his emotions as well as to allow her time to process his words. "Little Wolf," his voice was a quiet purr, "I'm not going _anywhere_. Never again."

"Why did you go away the first time?" Her voice was so quiet, the average human ear would have never even processed it. He was far better than _average_.

"I'll tell you…one day. When you're older."

_Maybe, _he thinks_. Hopefully, by then, you'd have forgotten this conversation. _

He didn't want to watch her admiration of him die out of her eyes like a candle left carelessly outside before a tornado decides to strike.

Flickering.

Fading.

Light.

Darkness.

…Then gone completely. Never to return. Never to rekindle.

Destroyed. Forever.

"When I'm old like you?" Her hands fisted lightly in his shirt.

He chuckled and Little Wolf smiled at his booming laugh echoed in his chest and vibrated out of his throat, tickling her ear.

"I'm not old." He straightened his smirked down at her; she still didn't look at him.

"Yes you are." She said simply, "but don't worry: I won't tell anyone."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They were quiet for a while.

"Can I drive the ship now?" She asked.

"Don't make me shoot you out of the airlock." Khan said without missing a beat.

"Okay." Little Wolf thought for a minute and then scrunched up her nose as she thought.

Quiet once more.

"What's an airlock?"

Khan sighed.

**…**

Silver Moon is flying the ship so that he can rest.

He lies in his bed staring up at the ceiling, his gaze going glassy. Little Wolf lies with her head resting lightly over his heart, her arm thrown carelessly over his chest, rising and falling slowly as he breathes in and out. He tilts his head carefully to glance at her and smirks before lying his back, his head flat against the stiff pillow once more. His eyes close. Breathing evens.

In and out.

In.

And…

Out.

**…**

_It's dark and cold. It's always cold. He exhales and his breath freezes into a pale, white mist. No matter. His body was warmer than that of the average human. It may not be comfortable, but he would survive._

_He was _made _to survive._

_"__Go on," Marcus's finger stabs sharply into his chest. "Draw up the plans."_

_"__No," Khan had growled dangerously._

_Biological warfare. That was what Marcus had wanted._

_Biological._

_Weapons._

_The coward. True war—noble war—was fought with fists and swords and weapons. Flesh and blood versus real, living enemies. Not chemicals. Not viruses—that was the cowards' way out. A chemical or virus didn't differentiate between foe or mere child—it destroyed everything. It contaminated both land and opponent, poisoning all within its path as it caused a slow and agonizing demise._

_No._

_He would not be the creater of such a weapon. He may have been a murderer, but even he had invisible moral lines that he vowed not to cross._

_"__Fine, John." Marcus's eyes gleamed with joy as he took a step back. A clear, impregnable barrier stabbed down between the men in the hallway, trapping Khan in a dead end. "You were sufficiently warned when I had your ass woken up. Let's see…which one."_

_"__No," Khan whispered as the freezing cold realization stole his breath. Icy fingers of dread sliced down his spine. "No!" _

_The cryotubes lowered in slow motion and time stretched out like candy in a taffy puller._

_"__This one?" Marcus hit one tube and it swung wildly from side to side, jostling its frozen cargo, but the life support—thank God!—remained undamaged. Marcus slapped another. This one swung free and smashed onto the ground, it's glass cracking slightly but not breaking._

_"__Stop! Please!" Khan begged. "STOP!"_

_Marcus turned to spare Khan a glance over his shoulder. His facial features mirrored an expression of pity though his eyes screamed triumphantly like a cat catching its first true prey. _

_"__Oh, Khan." Marcus tutted with fake sympathy. "You knew this was going to happen all along. It was inevitable." His fingers stretched out tapping the power switch and flipping it 'OFF'. It's light flickered red frantically before dulling. Inside the fluids melted rapidly._

_"__STOP! PLEASE! STOP! I'll DO IT! JUST STOP!"_

_The person inside defrosted, their mouth opening in a gurgling scream. The face—he couldn't see the face! Couldn't hear the yells that he knew were escaping from the warming body as it choked o__n the icy liquid inside its sleek, silver coffin._

_"__MARCUS STOP— !"_

**…**

Khan jerked awake, his fist slamming hard into the nearest thing to him.

A sharp snap sounded and Little Wolf shrieked in agony. Horrified, Khan looked down at the small body next to him as it screamed and screamed, its voice unbroken and unending. He had just broken her spine.

**Sorry. I'm ****_SO_**** sorry about that last bit (it freaked me out and I'm the one that wrote it), but there's been a bit too much fluff and I had to implement a plot device/conflict somehow besides Khan vs himself and Marcus/Star Fleet…and a cliff hanger. I missed doing those. Don't worry, will update soon (probably tomorrow) instead of waiting FOREVER again.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the wait. I kept trying to write this chapter and it took forever to get it right (this is much better than what I had written originally). It is shorter than the other chapters, but, in my opinion, it is still pretty interesting. Well, without further adieu, enjoy.**

**Chapter 18**

What had he just done?

WHAT HAD HE DONE?

Little Wolf screamed with pain. Her sharp, piercing wail shook the walls with its unending cry while Khan lay paralyzed next to her, his offending hand still on her broken spine. Tears streamed down her face as the pain raced like wildfire through her body.

But he didn't move.

He couldn't move.

It couldn't be real. It had been Marcus—not Little Wolf! It had been Marcus's skull—his neck—that he had broken not…not her…it couldn't have been her. It couldn't have. This was a dream or a sick, twisted joke. Any second now, someone would jump out and laugh at him, and he, in turn, would literally skin them alive for their cruel joke…or he'd wake up…it was dream. Yes, it was time to wake up...and everything would be okay again.

…But he didn't awaken.

Little Wolf's screams got weaker and weaker as the pain and shock flooded her system until she went limp beside him, her breathing getting shallower and shallower…her face growing pale. She moaned and whimpered, but no longer thrashed her feet or made any sharp noises.

He moved.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Gently, he removed himself from her still body. Once off of the bed, he rushed to the replicater and rapidly replicated a tube in order to transfer his blood directly into her body. He didn't even bother with a bag: he stuck the needle in his arm and attached the other end to her tiny, frail wrist, but even as the life-giving fluid rushed into her body, she didn't stir.

Her moaning stopped.

Her breathing slowing until it was almost imperceptible.

He watched as the wound on her back quickly healed, but Little Wolf never moved. Worried, Khan placed two fingers on her throat to find her pulse; it was weak but present. He sat down on the ground beside her and waited.

Hours ticked by.

Still, no movement.

"Little Wolf," he whispered quietly.

She gave no sign of having heard him. He disconnected the line that connected them, feeding him her blood. She didn't so much as flinch when he pulled the needle out. Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. His stomach twisted as his hand brushed across her sensitive face.

There was no response.

None.

"Little Wolf!" His voice, though louder, still received no response from the tiny girl.

It was now that the panic set it.

"LITTLE WOLF!" And then he was shaking her, caution be damned. "LITTLE WOLF! Wake up! Wake up!" He begged. Anxious tears flowed down his cheeks.

She wasn't moving? Why wasn't she moving? His blood had saved Kirk and Thomas Harewood's daughter! Hell, it had brought both Kirk and a tribble back from the dead! Why wasn't it doing anything for Little Wolf? WHY WASN'T IT WORKING?

It made no sense! She was healed! There was no more wound! She should be better! She should be awake and moving! She should be screaming to get away from him and demanding to never see him again because he had harmed her despite his promise that he never would—she should be doing something! Anything! Not this…not this…lack of movement. Not this…stillness.

And it was his fault…even if it had been an accident. He should be the one with the injury—the punishment…he should be the one in critical condition. It was his fault. It was all his fault.

Khan stared at the hand that had harmed her in silent wonder. All the other times he had touched her and only now did she bear the scars…it wasn't fair. She was just a little girl…he was the monster, the murderer! It should be him!

The door swished open.

"Khan," Silver Moon stood in the doorway, frozen by Khan's expression: deep and searing pain. Her eyes flicked to Little Wolf and her heart froze. "No…"

The word came out as a whisper and then a scream as she ran across the room and hugged Little Wolf tightly to her chest. Angry she shoved Khan away from and cradled the girl close, tears streaming down her face.

"What did you do?!" She wailed. "What did you do to my daughter?! What did you do to my baby?!"

"I—" He was flustered. For the first time in his life, his mine was frozen. The wheels in his brain turned wildly but no responses appeared.

'What did he do'? He did not know—if he did she would be better now! She would be safe! She would stable! What did he do? He snapped her spine and allowed her to go into shock! That's what he did!

_Wait..._

_…__Shock…_

_It was shock! That was it!_

"Cover with her with a blanket! Now!" Khan ordered.

Shock. It was shock; She needed to be warm—the room was freezing! No wonder she had slipped away so quickly!

"What?" Silver Moon blinked in confusion and Khan rushed forward impatiently. He ripped the comforter up from the bed and quickly wrapped it around mother and daughter.

"Hold her close. She needs the body heat," Khan ordered quickly.

Gently, he pushed Silver Moon back onto the mattress until she was curling her body around the small girl with Little Wolf lying flat on her stomach beside her mother. Khan elevated the girl's feet with his pillows while Silver Moon stroked her hair and begged her to wake up.

Her breathing evened.

Slowly.

Hours slipped by before she moaned. Her eyes cracked slightly and both parents moved to comfort her. Silver Moon glared angrily at Khan as he stretched out a hand to touch Little Wolf's face; he retracted his hand, but he didn't mind in the least. His mind was giddy with relief: she would live. Little Wolf was going to live! She'd be in the medbay for a while…and Silver Moon would probably take Little Wolf and the others and leave with the intention of never seeing him again…but they would be alive…no thanks to him.

Khan rose fluidly to his feet.

"I'll take the next shift for flying the ship now if you want to take Little Wolf to medbay to run some tests," he said evenly.

Without waiting for a response, he fled from the room. Heat prickled at the corners of his eyes but he willed it away. All this time, he had been fighting to save his Augmented family and in mere minutes he had nearly destroyed his biological one…maybe he deserved to be alone after all.

**I'm not entirely sure if she would have (realistically) gotten better so quickly. I got the treatment for shock off of 'Google' so, it may or may not be entirely correct in terms of how quickly she had recovered from it. But, since this is a Fanfiction, it doesn't necessarily have to be **a**ccurate; it just has to fit the story plot...I guess. I'm not a doctor, so don't take any of this stuff as advice as to how to treat someone.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks, ****_Sassiebone_****, for the all the awesome reviews as well as helping me come up with an idea for this chapter. :)** **Thank you, ****_Noxy the Proxy_****and ****_Elvira Silver_****(Sorry, I should have thanked you MUCH earlier) for reviewing as well. :)**

**Chapter 19**

They were in the conference room. Silver Moon glared at him from across the table. Her arms were crossed tensely in front of her chest. Khan closed to door to the room and sat down in front of her. Sharp Quill would tend to the children and deal out punishment if they were unwise enough to misbehave while Silver Moon flayed him alive.

"So?" Khan asked quietly.

"What happened?" She sits up, her spine rigid, body tensed.

"Excuse me?" He frowned.

"You hurt Little Wolf," she says point blank and Khan flinched. "Why? What. Happened?"

"Nothing," the lie spills too quickly past his lips. He tries to catch the word, but it rushes past his teeth and leaps off his tongue into the open expanse between them.

"Nothing." _Her_ eyes narrowed slightly.

The word came out as a whisper, deceptively soft and quiet, but he wasn't fooled by her mock calm. The rage that was building was too close to the surface and already it was boiling over into her posture.

_Slam!_

Her clenched fist punched the hard metal table—she doesn't so much as flinch.

She shrieks at him, allowing him to see plainly her anger: "_Nothing_ isn't what happens when you put someone in the ER. _Nothing_ is not what happens when you _snap_ a little girl's _spine_!"

Guilt pooled in the pit of his stomach and worked its way into his chest. Slowly, the heavy emotion pooled into his heart and filled it with its heavy leaden burden. He inhaled slowly and exhaled deeply in a vain effort to expel the heaviness in his chest. It only grew worse.

"It was…an unforeseen tragedy."

She was beside him then and a harsh slap exploded across his cheek, turning his head to the side. He glared back up at her but she refused to shrivel away.

"Stop dancing around the subject," she snapped and he nodded once.

"Fine. It was an accident, then. We were sleeping and I…" he trailed off as he thought.

"You…" she prompted.

"I…had a nightmare." He threw the last words out so fast that they jumbled together incoherently. Frustrated, he inhaled deeply and tried again. "When we went to bed, and after we had fallen asleep, I remembered an…_unfortunate_ time in my past. In my memory people that I…that I cared—and still care—deeply about were in peril. They were in danger," he swallowed at the lump in his throat, "because of me. A man, my captor, was going to begin killing them, one after the other, if I did not cooperate in giving him the means to biological warfare. I wanted to kill him, obviously."

Khan remembered the blood burning his veins as all his hatred spilled into his deadly hands. His palms had wrapped oh so delicately around Marcus's fragile neck and then his face…and then…screaming.

_Her _screaming instead of Marcus. The jolt of surprise that took his breath and froze him in place when he had seen her injured back…

"I had never intended for Little Wolf to—" There was moisture on his cheeks and a lump that had grown painfully in his throat, making it difficult to breathe as sorrow and shame flooded his system and sent electric shocks down his limbs.

"An accident." He swallowed again. "That's all it was," He looked up at Silver Moon and she broke his gaze to stare at the table. "I apologize, Silver Moon. If you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

She was quiet for a minute as she digested all he had said to her. When she finally spoke it was low and quiet: "It was not intentional?"

Had she been waiting for this moment? Waiting for him to snap and violently harm or kill all of them-one after the other? Had she known, deep down inside of her in some dark, obscure crevis of her being, that an event such as this was inevitable...?

"No. What have I to gain from harming a child—_my_ child?" Their eyes met and he memorized the color of her irises. "Is she…better? I mean, is she—"

"Yes…she's 'better'. There's no more injury, thanks, in part, to you." She hesitated and he could read her thought as its message flickered across her face: _Even though, technically, the injury was also thanks to _you. "X-rays were clear. No signs of paralysis."

"And mentally?" He whispered.

"A nightmare, here and there, but, according to Sharp Quill, she's had those for a while." She shrugged, "So, I don't know. Children are incredible at adapting; time would help. Therapy would as well. Perhaps, if you two talked through it…" she shrugged. "You could explain why it had happened; just spare her the gruesome details, obviously."

He smirked ruefully. "Obviously," he echoed. "What is it you plan to do? Leave or stay?"

His mind rebelled against the idea of letting them go out into the damaged and unpredictable world outside his ship but he easily killed the protest. His job was to keep them safe, even if it was from himself.

"I don't know," she said. She rose quickly to her feet. "I just don't know." Then the door was swishing open and the breeze generated by her body brought a faint scent of her perfume to him: lilacs and vanilla.

_Well, at least she was honest._

**…**

He, too, rose to his feet and watched emotionlessly as she fled from his sight. She had expected him to have purposely harmed Little Wolf, for whatever reason, to hurt her. She had expected him to be cold and cruel.

Emotionless.

Empty.

Damned.

Instead, all she had seen was a man: a very real man with very real emotions. This, of course, had created a conundrum. Had he been cruel, he would have been dangerous, thus making her decision as to whether to leave or stay a simple one.

Now…it was just chaos. An accident. It had been an accident and he regretted it, dearly. So, what was she to do? If they left, they could very well find themselves at death's door thanks to a certain Starfleet Admiral, but, if they stayed, who was to say that such an incident would not occur again? It happened once, why not twice?

Stay or leave?

Leave or stay?

Yes, a difficult choice indeed. He walked to the cockpit and closed the door. This was a decision she needed to make alone; he would not attempt to influence her one way or the other…despite his feelings for her and the others. Right now, he'd focus his efforts elsewhere.

After all, his frozen family still needed him.

And he had a score to settle.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The time had finally come.

"You'll be alright?" Khan asked and Silver Moon nodded slightly.

The children all hid around her feet as the cargo bay hatch opened. They had decided that when he went to get his slumbering crew, Silver Moon, Sharp Quill, and the children would stay at a village in a peaceful quadrant in the galaxy. That way, if things went wrong, at least some of his loved ones would be safe from Star Fleet.

Silver Moon had picked that planet—a lovely orb the color of lavender. She claimed that 'The People' had been fleeing to that location for years. She and the children (and Sharp Quill) would simply go to live with their people while Khan sought out his. They would be safe and the ones that were already there would help them assimilate into the native's culture and disappear among the masses…should the need arise.

Should he fail and doom them all.

"Go, we'll be okay." She smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes. Little Wolf stayed behind Silver Moon and hugged her mother's leg lightly. Fox held his mother's hand. Khan crouched down and looked at the both of them.

"Listen to your mother and behave," Khan said softly. Fox nodded at him but Little Wolf simply stared.

"You behave," she retorted and Khan frowned slightly before he saw her tiny smirk. "Be good, weirdo." The smile grew.

"You too," he smirked back at her and then she rushed forward, wrapping her arms lightly around his chest. Before he could hug her back, she had scrambled back behind Silver Moon…and then they were gone. They pulled their bags onto their backs and walked down the ramp. Silver Moon cast him a look over her shoulder before they disappeared from sight.

"Goodbye," he whispered before closing the hatch and walking slowly to the cockpit.

_Stay safe_, he willed them inwardly before lifting off.

**…**

_The water was…strange,_ Little Wolf thought as she looked down at her feet.

The ground was squishy and moist like a sponge. As long as they continued moving, it would hug their feet softly but allow them to move without incident. If they paused in their walking, they would begin to sink. _Weird._ Beneath the sponge-like material, the liquid of the ocean bubbled up at them.

_Why was it like that? How was it made? Was the water under our feet safe to drink?_

She asked her mother, but Silver Moon didn't know.

"What's up there?" Little Wolf pointed to the forest where a thin line of white smoke was rising from the tops of the navy blue trees.

"A village, probably. People."

"Our kind?" Little Wolf asked.

"I don't know: maybe. We'll find out, just be patient, little one," Silver Moon smiled down at her. "Are you excited?"

"Mmm hmm. We're on an adventure!" Little Wolf smiled and then bounded a few yards ahead of the group before running back to them. "Come on, come on! Move faster! You move so slow! I want to explore!"

"You keep yelling at me like that and I'll smack you so hard with my cane, your head will spin for a week!" Sharp Quill snapped.

"You'd have to catch me first," a sly smile crept up on the girl's face as she considered grabbing her elder's cane and running off with it.

"Don't tempt me," Sharp Quill warned and Silver Moon laughed at the pair of them.

"We're almost to the bank now—see it? Over there? Just behave until we get over there, alright you two?"

"Okay," Little Wolf agreed.

"I'll smack you too, ordering me around like I'm a child. Well! I never!" Sharp Quill muttered under her breath.

They reached the bank and all of them sat down. Fawn and Hawk played pirates with some sticks they had found while baby Beaver waddled near the trees. Little Wolf played with the spongey material. She put her hand on its moist, blue surface and allowed it to slowly swallow her arm up to her elbow. Her fingers could feel the cool liquid beneath.

"Little Wolf! You get away from that right this minute!" Silver Moon yelled and Little Wolf snatched her arm back and scrambled away from the sponge ocean.

Silver Moon continued to chide the girl and Sharp Quill smacked her sharply with her cane once for good measure. Little Wolf scowled at the ground and glanced back at the sponges when the two adults weren't looking.

_But it was fun_, she thought. Already her mind was working at sixty miles an hour to get back over to bizarre geological feature.

**…**

They walked some more and reached a camp by midnight. The people they encountered were kind. They had tanned skin and dark hair, like Natives Americans. Their faces were painted with colorful paint and they had clothes made of dark furs that helped them to blend in with the black forest foliage. They gave the tired group warm soup to fill their bellies and beds made out of furs to use for the night.

The next morning, they arose early. Again, the people gave them food to eat and a few of the women doted on the children, giving them sweets and simple toys. Beaver cooed and waved his chubby fists happily. Fox hid behind Sharp Quill before one woman managed to coax him out with the promise of a colorful book. Silver Moon watched their interactions carefully and smiled when she saw Little Wolf already beginning to figure out the workings of their new friends' foreign tongues **(*languages*)**.

**…**

Of course, so intent was Silver Moon watching the children, she never noticed the Star Fleet officers observing them from not too far away.

"Is that her?" A blue shirted officer turned to his superior.

"I do believe it is. Get in contact with the ship and tell the crew to ready an extraction team. When the group leaves the village, we'll capture them all."

"And what of the children?"

"Capture all of them." The captain ordered.

"And what do you think Khan will do when he discovers the decoy?" The blue shirted officer raised an eyebrow and his caption, who shrugged back at him in return.

"He'll come back to look for his family and eventually realize that we have them. We won't need to set a trap for him—he'll come to us. This time, I'll make sure the bastard doesn't escape. Are the extraction teams ready?"

"Yes, Captain. They await your command."

"Good, tell them to set their phasers to stun; we need them alive for this to work."

**…**

Khan approached the first base and infiltrated it easily, leaving behind body after fallen body. The alarms blared loudly to alert the others that an intruder had gained entrance but the officers that ran at him were pathetically out matched. Within minutes, he had killed hundreds of them. The others, no doubt, would be cowering in their quarters—too afraid to come out lest he kill them as well.

Well, he wouldn't bother with them. So long as they stayed out of his way, he'd spare their pathetic lives. All he needed to do was destroy the cloaking device, get back to his ship, and warp his people over. All in all, it was easy.

Childishly easy.

He had expected…more. This mission was a disappointment to say the least. He warped the torpedoes on board and jumped back up to the planet's atmosphere. He had destroyed their communications and weapons capabilities; they were sitting ducks, completely at his mercy. Smug, he waltzed down to the cargo hold and froze.

Those were not his torpedoes. He ran back to the cockpit and scanned the facility once more—there were no other torpedoes there. Enraged, he landed the ship and proceeded to go room to room to search more thoroughly for what was his. He killed the inhabitants off as he raided the dormitories only to come up empty handed. Only when each and every last person had been killed did he return to his ship, his hands dripping with others' blood. He had captured the CO of the base and threw him and his second in command in the brigs. He would interrogate them both thoroughly later. Right now, he needed to get back to Silver Moon and the others…because he had a seen a picture of them on the base.

The picture had shown the woman and children sleeping around a campfire…and dozens of Star Fleet Officers surrounding the camp, phasers drawn.

**…**

"Mom," Little Wolf yawned as she woke up. A twig had snapped and then another. "Mom," she shook Silver Moon's shoulder. "Mom, wake up! I think there's something out there."

"It's fine, Little Wolf. Go back to sleep," the woman murmured.

Dark figures muttered among the trees and the girl watched as they moved, getting closer and closer with each passing minute.

"MOM!" She screamed just as phaser blasts filled the air.

The officers moved in quickly, taking the stunned group into their custody.

"Put the adults in the brig and send the children to medical," The captain ordered and his first officer hurried to obey the order.

"Yes, Captain."

**…**

"Hello, it's about time you woke up. I was starting to wonder if I'd have to use an epi-pen, kid." Little Wolf blinked, her vision blurry. Slowly, a man in blue came into focus, the silver Star Fleet logo on his shirt snarling at her.

She screamed.


	21. Chapter 21

**I'll go ahead and put this chapter out now to help hold you guys over until when I can write/add the next chapter (maybe Sunday or Monday). Enjoy...or be scarred for life; whatever floats your boat...**

**Chapter 21**

Broken bones, alien diseases, and extreme fatigue, he could deal with.

Crying children…?

Not so much.

"It's alright, hey, you're okay. Look at me, kid. Calm down. Just stop…please. Please stop crying. I won't hurt you. Look, see…it okay…oh, damn it…Uhura! I think I broke it!"

McCoy scowled as Little Wolf slipped off of the medical bed and cowered in a corner. Uhura moved in slowly and crouched a few feet away from the scared child. The other children, picking up on Little Wolf's panic, had begun to cry and scream as well.

"Oh, hell." McCoy shook his head. "'It'll be fun', he said. 'Well catch Khan', he said.'Just watch the kids, there won't be a problem'." McCoy sighed. "If I ever see that corn fed captain again, I'll strangle him!"

Uhura frowned and sniffed the air, her gaze settling in on Beaver.

"Uh, Bones…I think this one just…you know."

"Oh, hell. Just kill me now."

**…**

"Captain, the probability of success is less the twenty point three percent. I highly recommend that we regather with the Fleet and challenge Khan that way. It would be more advantageous do to the higher numbers as well as the extra fire power."

"Relax, Spock. It'll be fine. We just need to out bluff him. How hard could it be?"

"Captain, let me remind you about the last incident in which we 'out bluffed' him. If I remember correctly, you had died along with several crew members and the Enterprise was out of commission for three months while it received the necessary repairs. Half of San Francisco perished and the Federation very nearly went to war with the Klingon Empire."

"See? Easy as cake." Kirk smirked and Spock resisted the urge to give Kirk a Vulcan Neck Pinch. "Everything will be fine, Spock. Relax. So, about how long until he finds us, do you think?"

"Thirty hours, maximum."

"And minimum?" Kirk asked.

Spock inhaled slowly before answering: "Twelve hours."

"Well, we better get ready then." Kirk clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Has the second containment cell in the brig already been modified to hold him?"

"Mr. Scott is still making the appropriate modifications, but he is confident they will be done within the hour." _Though, it wouldn't matter if the modifications are done if Khan destroys their ship…again, _Spock thought ruefully.

"Good. Have the women in the brig eaten already?"

"I am unsure."

"Alright, have something sent down to them. How are the children adjusting?"

"…As well as can be expected." Spock decided to leave out the fact that all the children were currently sobbing their eyes out as they spoke.

"Just make sure McCoy keeps them contained in medbay—I want to keep them out of this as much as possible."

"Affirmative, Captain." Spock left the room, his thoughts whirling. _All they had to do was keep Khan from killing them all and transport him back to Earth without incident…Kirk was going to get them all killed. One does not simply kidnap Khan's family and walk away unscathed. _

**…**

"It's alright." Uhura sat down on the cold linoleum floor and sat motionlessly as she waited for the girl to wear herself out. Slowly, but surely, the screaming stopped. "So, what's your name, hmm?" Uhura asked.

Little Wolf watched her suspiciously and shivered from the cold.

"Here," Uhura held a blanket out to her; Little Wolf shied away. "I'm going to hurt you. My name is Uhura and this is Doctor McCoy," Uhura gestured to a very disgruntled McCoy as he tossed a dirty diaper into the waste bin.

"The things I do for my job," he muttered. "One day, I'm going to quit and then what will you people do?"

"He'll a little grumpy," Uhura smiled and Little Wolf smiled back shyly. _This woman didn't seem mean at all—and that mean guy was kind of funny_, Little Wolf thought._ Maybe they weren't bad people after all…_

"You can say that again," the girl agreed and Uhura laughed.

"So, what's your name?" Uhura smiled calmly.

"Little Wolf…" The girl shivered again and goose bumps began to form on her bare arms.

"Are you cold, Little Wolf?" Uhura asked and Little Wolf nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

"Come here," Uhura said and the gather the girl up in her arms, wrapping the blanket around the both of them to help her warm up faster. "Better?"

"Yeah," the girl yawned and snuggled closer.

Before too long, she had dozed off. Uhura carefully put her back onto her bed and covered her with a blanket. One by one, she checked in on the others and made sure they were comfortable. Beaver wailed, and Uhura picked him up and sang a soft lullaby.

"How in the world do you do it?" McCoy asked and Uhura shrugged.

"I'm just awesome that way," she sat down on an examination table and looked down at the toddler. He blinked sleepily at her and yawned. "Why are they so tired?"

"Younger children sleep a lot. I guess right now, it's nap time. When they wake up again, let's try to get some food into them. Except for that one," McCoy gestured to Beaver, "I don't feel like changing it again," McCoy pointed at Beaver and Uhura smiled.

**…**

A black ship warped towards them at full speed and Kirk raised an eyebrow at his second in command.

"Twelve hours, huh? I've never known you to be wrong. How's that feel, by the bay?"

"It was merely a rough estimate," Spock raised his eyebrow.

"Scotty," Kirk pressed the comm button. "How's that brig looking?"

"Top notch, Captain. I just finished with the alterations a few minutes ago."

"Good. Get back to engineering and wait for further orders. Let's see how this works out," Kirk sat lightly into the captain's chair and wrapped his hands around the armrests just as Khan's face jumped onto the screen.

"Captain," Khan growled angrily, "You have made a _very_ grave mistake."

Kirk hung up on him.

**…**

The comm crackled.

"Look alive everyone. Things are about to get a little tense," Kirk's voice instructed.

"Oh, hell. That was fast!" McCoy complained as Uhura began to strap the kids securely to the beds. Little Wolf frowned at the two but held still as a seatbelt type contraption was secured over her chest.

"What's this for?"

"It's in case our ship is fired upon. It'll help keep you still and minimize any injuries you could receive from whiplash," McCoy answered and Uhura glared at him.

"It'll help to keep you safe," she explained.

"Who's going to attack your ship?"

"A very, very bad man," McCoy said softly. "But don't you worry a bit; we're going to make sure all of you stay safe—that's why we grabbed you: to keep you away from him. That man is very dangerous. Where he goes, death follows."

Little Wolf shuddered and Uhura kicked McCoy in the leg.

"Don't worry about it. Everything will be alright," Uhura insisted and the floor jolted under her feet. She caught herself on the bed and winced as another blast shook the ship. "I'll be right back. Can you be good for the doctor?"

Little Wolf glanced at McCoy.

"I guess so. Do you have any toys?"

"Do scalpels count?"

"McCoy!" Uhura gasped and McCoy chuckled.

"Just joking; get out of my medbay," he swatted at Uhura playfully and the woman rolled her eyes before racing out of the room and into the corridor.

**…**

Uhura ran onto the bridge and slipped into her seat.

"How are they?" Kirk asked.

"They are settling in nicely." Uhura looked at Kirk over her shoulder. "So, what are we doing?"

"I have no idea," Kirk answered honestly.

"What?" Uhura's eyes went wide. "There's no plan?" A light started going off on her monitor. "Captain, he's hailing us."

"Patch him through," Kirk ordered.

"Captain," Khan's voice growled again. "Give me back what is mine and _perhaps_, I'll grant you and your crew a swift death."

"I don't think so," Kirk stated calmly. "You're going to surrender to us and stand trial for your crimes on Earth."

They heard Khan chuckle darkly and chills ran down the collective spines of the crew members seated on the bridge.

"Oh, Captain," Khan smiled cruelly, "it would appear that you're still as much as a_ fool_ as you were when we first met. Here's what we're going to do: you _are_ going to turn over the people you stole from me or I shall destroy your _entire_ ship."

"If you destroy our ship, you destroy the ones you seek to take from us," Spock stated calmly.

"Oh, _Mr. Spock_. I was wondering when you were going to join the conversation." Khan glowered at the Vulcan.

"Are you going to surrender or do I need to start shooting people out of airlocks?" Kirk asked calmly and Khan, within the span of a single heartbeat, hesitated.

"With your level of integrity, _Captain_, I highly doubt you would do that," Khan's voice was flat as it snarled out of the speakers.

"Captain, his locking weapons on our ship!" Uhura stated.

"Security, please escort the women to the airlock," Kirk stated and they could hear Silver Moon scream as she was forced from the brig and into an airlock. Khan paled slightly.

"Disable your shields," Kirk said calmly, "Or they die."

"You're bluffing, Captain," The Augment snarled. "You would never slaughter innocent—"

Kirk interrupted Khan, "Shoot them into space."

The airlock released its load.

"So, which child should we shoot out next, Khan? Or would you like to surrender now?"

**Looks like things are starting to get dark again. Oops.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, I managed to get another chapter in. This one doesn't really have a cliff hanger on the end like the others. I don't want to torture anyone all weekend by leaving the kind of a cliff hanger that was on the last chapter. ****Enjoy. :)**

**Chapter 22**

Khan glared murderously at Kirk from the other side of the brig.

"You just murdered innocent people," Khan snarled. "They had no part in this!"

Kirk's blue eyes shimmered coldly: "Nor did the citizens of San Francisco, but that didn't seem to matter to you at the time, did it? _You_ were the one that wanted to raise the stakes, remember? Per Starfleet regulations, you are now being transported back to Earth to await the trail, sentencing, and punishment for your crimes."

"And what will become of the children and my crew?" Khan glared at Kirk but there was little he could do to the Captain within the confines of his cell.

"Your crew? Lab rats, I guess. I'm sure the children will go into foster care until families can be found for them." Kirk paused, "And they aren't dead, the women." Shock coursed through Khan's body at Kirk's words. "Put them back into the brig," Kirk commanded unseen crew members.

Moments later, security officers escorted Silver Moon and Sharp Quill back into the cell beside Khan's.

"It was a trick…but…the bodies…?" Khan frowned.

Spock chose to jump into the conversation: "Belonged to Starfleet officers who desired to be buried among the stars. Your friends were put into the airlock next to the one holding the decoy corpses."

"A bluff, then." Khan's cold gaze settled on each of them in turn. "I will kill you both one day," The Augment promised solemnly.

"If you're not executed first," Kirk gave him a cold smile.

Kirk and Spock looked at each other and then left the room.

"Are you positive the brig will hold him, Captain?" Spock inquired a few minutes after the doors closed behind them.

"It'll work. Relax, Spock, everything is going smoothly. Go check on our guests in medbay; I'm going to look in on engineering."

"Captain?"

"The last time that bastard was on our ship the warp core malfunction; I'm making sure there won't be a repeat of that."

Spock nodded and left.

**…**

"Are you alright?" Khan asked Silver Moon and she nodded shakily.

"Yes."

"Silver Moon," he purred. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll get us out of this. I promise."

"I don't think so," she whispered. "Not this time. Khan," she looked at Khan and moisture ran down her cheeks. "They've got the children. They're going to hurt the children, I just know it!"

"Everything will be alright. The Captain is…he has integrity."

"He put us in an airlock! He was going to kill us!" She was getting frenzied. Khan crept forward and put his hand on the glass by her head. Her hand moved up to fit into his palm on the other side of the glass and she stared at how big his hand was compared to hers.

"Look at me," he commanded. Slowly, she raised her gaze to his eyes sharp blue eyes. "I will get us out of this," he repeated softly. "They will not hurt the children—I won't allow it. Now, get a hold of yourself, and Sharp Quill," Khan flicked his gaze the old woman who gave him a stony look. "If she starts to get hysterical again, smack her." Both the women smiled.

"With pleasure," Sharp Quill said and Silver Moon laughed lightly.

**…**

McCoy walked among the beds, counting heads. He frowned when he finished and counted again and then again. One was missing.

_Oh, damn it all!_

"Kirk," He pressed the Comm button. "I lost one."

**…**

Little Wolf crept down the hallway and slipped past the security officers. She wandered down another corridor and quickly hid behind a monitor as more officers walked by. It didn't take long for them to turn the corner, the moment she did, she moved on. She smirked as she moves about the ship, her walk turning into a casual skipping motion.

"Little Wolf?" A familiar voice sounded. The girl turned.

"Mom!" She rushed forward to hug the woman but smacked into a hard translucent surface. She fell onto her backside and blinked in confusion.

"Are you hurt?" Khan moved to the corner of his cell and frowned at her anxiously.

"No," she rose back to her feet and shook her head. "Why are you in there?" She put her hand on the hard surface to Khan's cell and then Silver Moon's. "Come out, and play! Come on!" She jumped up and down impatiently and the adults smiled sadly.

"We can't, honey," Silver Moon said softly.

"Why not?"

"Little Wolf," Khan crouched down so that he was here height. "Were are you kids being held at? Where are the others?"

"They're with the doctor." Little Wolf replied and worry began to gnaw at her insides. "Why? Why does it matter? Come out, and I can show you."

Khan smiled sadly. "We can't—not right now…but soon, alright? You need to go back to the room with the doctor and stay there. Wait for us to come and get you. Can you do that?"

"I don't want to go back alone," she whined and Khan saw tears pricking at her eyes.

"You need to be a big girl right now. If you can get here, then you can get yourself back. We can't come with you right now…we're…we're in time out. We're in trouble, but we'll come get you guys when we can."

"Promise?" Her lip trembled and a single tear fell.

"Yes. I promise." Khan said.

"It's alright, Little Wolf. We'll see you as soon as we get back out, but keep it a secret, alright? Don't tell the others that you saw us or tell anyone that you were in here," Silver Moon crouched beside Khan on the other side of the glass. "Can you do that, sweetie?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Good, now go back and don't tell anyone about this." Silver Moon smiled sadly.

"When will you be there?" Little Wolf hovered near the cell door and Khan stiffened. Someone was coming.

"Get out of this room right this minute, young lady," he said sternly. "They're coming. Get back to the doctor's room and don't come back here. If you do, you'll be in big trouble—do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Then get out! What are still here for? Get back to your brother right this minute!" His voice sounded angry but he watched with sad eyes as their daughter slipped into the belly of the monster. For all he knew, they would never see one another again.

"Khan?" Silver Moon looked at him. Their eyes locked. "If you have to choose between Sharp Quill and me and the children, pick the children. Get them out first and come back for us if you have to. Don't let them stay in this place."

"I will not abandon you," he said firmly.

"If you save us and not the children, you will _never_ see me again, is that clear? You get them _first_. Don't let them hurt any of those kids—_especially_" She glanced at a camera on the wall, "my babies."

He nodded: "fine."

_Now all they had to do_, he thought, _was escape. Easier said than done._

**…**

"Captain, what are we to do with the prisoners Khan had captured?" Spock approached the Captain's chair and crossed his hands behind his back as he waited for Kirk to answer,

"Give them their own quarters. We'll drop them off on Earth when we deliver Khan to the proper authorities." Kirk picked up his PADD and started typing commands into it. He pulled up footage of the brig and watched Khan as he paced the length of his cell in frustration. The women were sitting silently on their bunks.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Spock inquired flatly.

Kirk glanced over at Spock. "With a lot of tranquilizers and Klingon restraints: unless you have any better ideas. Also, I want to triple the amount of security for the brig until we arrive at Earth. Oh, and did Bones ever find that missing child?"

"Yes, Captain. She had wandered down the hallway to find a restroom. She's back in the medbay as we speak."

"Good," Kirk flipped the PADD off. "I don't want those kids anywhere near that monster. Who knows what kind of thoughts he's already filled their heads with? Do you have any idea who wants to adopt them?"

"I conferred with Admiral Marcus shortly after we had Khan in custody. Admiral Marcus stated that a few sterile members of Section 31 were interested in gaining guardianship of them, but nothing is certain as of late."

Kirk nodded. "Okay, as long as they are getting good homes. I'd hate to think of them going to somewhere dangerous, you know?"

"Yes, Captain."

**…**

Spock entered the medbay. The children were playing with simple toys. A toddler, the one they called "Beaver", waddled over to him and raised his arms, indicating a desire to be held. Spock obliged and frowned when the boy's small hands tugged on his ears.

"You look funny," one of the females stated. "What are you?"

"I am a Vulcan."

"What's that?"

Spock thought for a second. "You would know me as an 'alien'."

"Like a Klingon?"

"Precisely. My name is Spock and you are?"

"Little Wolf. Why are your ears pointy?"

"It is a characteristic shared by those of my kind." Beaver's hands shifted to Spock's eyebrows.

Spock held the child away from him. Amused, the boy laughed and leaned forward, still reaching for Spock's face. Perhaps, he had miscalculated when he had agreed to hold the child…

"Is that why your eyebrows look funny?" Little Wolf asked.

"I am looking for Doctor McCoy." Spock put Beaver back on the ground. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Spock wandered away.

_'That guy was weird,'_ Hawk said.

_'You can say that again_,' Fawn giggled.

_'Hey, look, that idiot left the door open!'_ Hawk smiled. '_Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Let's get out of here!'_

_'No, we need to stay here!' _Little Wolf said.

_'Why?'_

_'How are Sharp Quill and my mom going to find us if we wander off?'_ Fox jumped in. '_We need to stay here. If we leave the room, they won't know where to look.'_

_'Fine,'_ Hawk agreed. '_We'll give them a week. If they still don't find us, then we'll look for them._

_'I hungry!' _Beaver complained._ 'Want lunch!'_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

McCoy glanced at his slumbering charges before putting a nurse in charge of the medbay for the night; it was time for some well-deserved rest. Slowly, he clambered into his office and gathered his belongings. He picked up the toys the children had played with earlier and placed them in a box next to one of the beds.

"Are you positive that you can handle them? They can get a little rowdy when they're excited and whatnot, especially the little one there." McCoy told the nurse as he pointed to Beaver.

A soft smile crept onto his face. He didn't care for all the diaper changing, but the blond haired tyke and his older sister, Fawn, were starting to worm their way into his heart. Beaver had crawled into his lap earlier during the day and handed McCoy a teddy bear that the boy had dubbed "Dr. Fluffy". Beaver then made McCoy bandage "Dr. Fluffy's" arm because the toy "had a boo-boo". Fawn had helped McCoy gather the supplies and her small hands had held the toy still as he wrapped the uninjured appendage up in a bright yellow synthesized bandage…ah, good times.

She smiled at him: "Yes, doctor. I'm sure everything will be fine. If I need anything, I'll call you, and I'll keep a special eye on the little one there."

"Alright, good. Have a goodnight." McCoy shook her hand and she smiled at him.

"You too, sir." She watched him leave.

**…**

Fox slowly opened one of his eyes. When the nurse turned her back, he slipped out of bed and arranged his blankets to make it look like he was still sleeping in bed. He slipped under a desk, as she walked past him.

Many of the nurses gathered their things and went towards the door as the next shift came in to relieve them. Fox ran out of the still open doors and padded down the corridor. He had seen Little Wolf go this way earlier but she hadn't told them where she had been.

Little Wolf must have found something really, really cool to want to keep it a secret. Maybe she found a lot of toys or candy! Fox smiled and moved faster. Well, he wanted some too!

There were voices up ahead—maybe they knew where the candy was! And then they could help him find his Mom and John—his Dad. After that they'd go back to that planet with the nice lady with the book! And see a dinosaur! Just like the ones he saw in the book!

"Fox?" Fox looked at the source of the voice and smiled.

"Mom!" He ran towards the cells but stopped before hitting the transparent barrier. "Hello, Dad." He smiled happily. "Are you having fun? Why are you in here instead of being with us? I miss you. Dad, can we go back to the planet with the sponge water now?" Fox looked at Khan. "Can we, Dad?"

Khan blinked in surprise: this was the first time Fox had ever acknowledged that Khan was his father, let alone call him 'dad'. He snapped himself out of his reverie. Now was not the time for sentiments. If one of Kirk's idiot underlings overheard what Fox was saying, the boy would be shipped off to Section 31 for sure to be ripped apart by Marcus's scientists. The less any of the children were seen with him, the better their quality of life would be.

"Where is your sister?" Khan asked, irritation leaking into his voice. Didn't he already go through this today with Little Wolf? Why was it so hard for his kids to stay put?

"Little Wolf is asleep in the doctor room but none of us are sick. Why are we in the doctor room if we aren't sick?"

"Go back to the room with the doctor," Khan snapped, ignoring the boy's question.

"But the doctor got to leave and it's boring in there!" Fox whined. "Why can't I go in the glass room with you?"

"The _answer_ is no. Get back to your sister now!" Silver Moon glared at her son, her anxiety growing. What if someone was watching on the other side of the camera? Their son could be killed!

It didn't take long for Khan and Silver Moon to convince the boy to leave, but by that time, the damage had already been wrought.

**…**

The agent watching the security footage pulled out his communications' device to alert the Admiral of all he had discovered.

Khan had been a fine test specimen; how much more so would Khan's—_the_ Khan's—offspring be? How many vaccines could they make from his progeny? How many scientific breakthroughs? And they were Augmented, were the other children members of the Augment's sister species? Oh, the possibilities!

Marcus was going to be pleased.

**…**

A jolt shudders through the ship. Kirk curses under his breath and jumps out of bed. Quickly, he manages to pull some clothes on just as alarms began to blare.

_Shit! Khan must have escaped!_

He ran from the room and began shouting orders.

"Everyone set phasers to kill—not stun! If you see the Augment, shoot to kill—no warning shots!"

"Captain," Spock ran around the corner. "Khan is still detained in the brig, as are the women. We are being attacked by another ship." Spock continued to rush towards the bridge.

Kirk cursed again and ran after him barefooted.

"Who? Who's attacking us?"

"I am unsure."

"Is it Klingons?" They reach the brig.

"No, Captain," Uhura says. "It's a federation vessel." Their shields fail. The lights flicker on and off.

"Scotty!" Kirk yells into his COMM. "Please tell me the warp core is—"

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's failing!"

"Captain, we're being hailed!" Uhura yelled.

"On screen! Now!" Kirk ordered, flopping into his chair.

"Kirk," Admiral Marcus appeared before them. "Don't worry, I'll be gone in a minute; I just needed to pick something up. When you return to Earth, you're going to be a few passengers short: I'm going to go ahead and collect the little one's now. There really isn't any point in waiting."

"What..? You're attacking us so you can kidnap children?" Kirk's eyes went wide.

"Don't be like that, son. Look at the bright side, you'll have less mouths to feed and all that jazz. It's come to my attention that these children are not being contained properly. People like them are incredibly dangerous, son. As I said before: their kind needs to be exterminated. So, I'll take them and leave. Be sure to drop Khan off afterwards. When you're done, you can have your five year mission and all the glory that goes with it. Don't worry, the damage on your ship is only tempera. Once I'm far enough away, your ship will be good as new."

Kirk jumped to his feet: "Sir, I don't understand. What are you talking about? 'Their kind'? These aren't the kids we were arguing about before—all those children are dead! They died in a Klingon raid! These are just children—human children!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, sport. Well," Marcus glanced at a monitor, "Well, looks like I've got what I've come for. Have a nice day." His ship jumped into warp.

A nurse could be heard screaming down the hallway: "Doctor! Doctor! They're gone! The children—they're all gone!"

In frustration, Kirk closed his eyes before flicking them both open and snatching up his communicator: "Scotty! For the love of God, give me some good news!"

"I'm sorry, Captain! The warp core is still down as are the engines. We're running off of power from the generators, sir, but they won't be enough to help us catch up to him, let alone survive an attack…I'm sorry, sir."

"Is there any chance of a radiation leak?" Spock inquired emotionlessly.

"No, Commander." Scotty answered.

Kirk hung up and furrowed his brow as he thought.

Down the hallway Kirk could hear loud and angry banging as Khan punched the transparent wall to his enclosure over and over again. The Augment bellowed with rage as his fist connected with the barrier only to leave him trapped in his make-shift prison.

Sighing, Kirk rose to his feet and ran to the medbay even though he already knew what he would find. The medical beds were empty. The nurse had been right. He then ran to the bridge where a very angry Khan glowered at him.

"The children?" Khan bit out with barely suppressed fury.

The pit of Kirk's stomach clenched even though he knew he was safe from the tyrant's anger…so long as the barrier held.

"Gone." Kirk answered carefully.

Khan's eyes narrowed: "And by whom were they taken?"

Kirk opened his mouth to speak but Spock cut him off swiftly.

"Captain, I do not think engaging the prisoner further would be a wise idea."

"Be quiet, Spock." Kirk said, his gaze never breaking away from Khan's.

"Let me out," Khan pleaded quickly. "I can help you find them—"

"I'm taking to Earth so your ass can be put down like the dog you are." Kirk stepped forward until Khan's and his nose were mere breaths apart. "There is way—_in hell_—that I'm going to let you out of your cage until we get there or did you forget what happened the last time I decided to release you?"

"You would let them die? You would let Marcus torture them to death?" Khan's voice, deadly quiet before now rose to a deafening roar. "Children! You would allow children to perish over our rivalry?"

"And what's the other alternative?" Kirk countered. "Releasing you and watching as you slaughter my entire crew? Letting you out so you could destroy yet another city? I'm not quite that stupid, _Johnny_." Kirk glared at the Augment without bothering to hide his hatred. "And then what? You live happily ever after? You. Are. A. Murderer! I watched you fire upon a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers? What the hell makes you think that I'm going to allow you to do that again?"

"Punish me, then," Khan challenged before looking Kirk over disdainfully, "Kill me; torture me; experiment on me. Don't let someone else pay for my crimes, left of all the innocent. Put a GPS tracker on me if you wish and track my movements to your heart's desire. Outfit me with behavior-altering technology—I don't care." Khan walked from Kirk and turned his back on the man before he continued to speak. "Don't let them die because of what I am. The punishment is mine and I refuse to have the weak bear it for me." He turned back to face Kirk.

Kirk frowned as he considered Khan's words. Spock's mouth opened as he prepared to speak, but Kirk was already leaving the room, ordering men to let Khan out of confinement.

"You want to save the children?" Kirk shot over his shoulder. "Fix my damn ship, first."


	24. Chapter 24

**WARNING: mentions of experimentation (non-graphic-ish****for now) on children…could count as child abuse. Continue reading at your own discretion. **

**Chapter 24**

They were thrown into the brig. Beaver wailed and his sister, Fawn, attempted to comfort him. Little Wolf and Hawk looked at one another in dismay while Beaver cried on and on.

_'__What are we going to do?' _Hawk asked and Little Wolf shrugs sadly.

_'__I don't know.' _She said.

Fawn sniffled. _'I want to go home! None of this would have ever happened if we had stayed!'_

_'__Want John!'_ Beaver wailed. _'I scared!'_

Fox never said a word. He curled into a corner of the room and shivered quietly in fear as he awaited his fate at the hands of the Invaders.

Little Wolf frowned. _'Stop it!'_ She yelled. _'We're going to okay, but if we keep freaking out we won't be. Beaver! Stop making that noise! John will get us out of this and everything will be fine. Okay?'_

_'__How do you know?' _Hawk asked Little Wolf quietly after the other two had fallen asleep. _'How do you know if we'll be alright?'_

_'__I don't, but I know if we keep crying about how scared we are, we'll never find a way to get out of this place.'_ Little Wolf sat down and leaned against the cold wall.

_'__Do you really think John will come?' _Hawk sat beside her and their knees touched lightly.

_'__I hope so.' _Little Wolf then smiled at Hawk_. 'But until then, let's make their lives as awful as we can. We'll make them regret knowing us, much less putting us in this place!'_

_'__Deal!' _Their fists touched, sealing the quiet promise.

"Having fun yet?" Marcus stood in front of their door, a cold smirk plastered onto his face. The smiles disappeared from Hawk and Little Wolf's expressions. They said nothing to him. Marcus then turned to a few security officers. "Take them all to medbay and draw up blood samples to identify which one's Khan's kids are. Put the ones who aren't his back into the brig and keep Khan's in medbay—I want some experiments done." Marcus's gaze hardened as he looked over the children. "Don't worry. It'll fun."

The old Admiral then stepped aside, allowing his men into the room. Fawn screamed as harsh hands snatched her away from Beaver. Beaver, who had been quiet moments before, now screamed wildly, his face going red as another pair of hands yanked him up from where he had fallen onto the ground.

One man moved to grab Hawk and he bit down hard onto the offending appendage. A well-aimed fist slammed into Hawk's nose, whipping the boy's head to the side. A trickle of blood ran down his face from the blow. He was dragged out of the room by his hair. Fox whined but could not escape the arms already circling tightly around his waist. He cried out for his mother only to be jerked out of the hallway and into the cruel, white glare of the medbay.

"Little Wolf!" Hawk screamed. "Run!" But it was already too late. She too had been grabbed by Marcus's men and was the last to be dragged away.

Little Wolf's composure had been calm until they had taken out the needles. She then fought wildly against the restraints…but there was no escape. Not this time. This time there was no mother to smuggle her away, no kindly nurses to tell her that everything would be alright, and no John to save her just as she fell victim to danger. This time, there was nothing and no one to stand in the way of the experiments. Her mouth opened into a blood curdling scream as the needle broke her skin, but, unlike her dreams, this time there was no waking up.

**…**

"There." Khan ground out as he rose slowly to his full fight. "Fixed."

Kirk frowned skeptically but Scotty had nodded in agreement with the Augment's words.

"Aye, Captain. Everything seems to be in order. The Warp Core is back online and we are back to main power. Nice thinking, by the way, about the software problem—I never would've caught it."

Scotty extended his hand to Khan and Khan shook it carefully, though his eyes never left Kirk's…and he still hadn't forgiven the Scottish Engineer for shooting him before he had a chance to kill Marcus. Had it not been for Scotty, none of this would be happening right now. Khan retrieved his hand from the other man's firm grasp before he changed his mind and crushed the other man's hand.

"And now what, _Captain?_" Khan snarled the last word. "Should I make you coffee? Order you a stay in a luxury hotel?"

Kirk rolled his eyes: "Get to engineering. I want you to start donating as much blood as possible to give to any of the kids in case they need a transfusion. While you do that, I'm going to confer with my first officer, unless you planned on taking a paid vacation before saving the kids?"

Khan glowered at the blonde before stomping out of the room.

"You may want to be a wee bit more careful than that, Captain, or he'll wind up killing you before a rescue mission is even attempted!" Scotty said but Kirk chuckled.

"Relax, Scotty. I'll be fine. Are you sure everything is alright though? He didn't sabotage anything?"

"No, sir, I watched him the entire time."

"Well, go back over everything he's touched just to make sure. Send me a message when you've finished."

"Aye, sir." Scotty watched as Kirk marched out of Engineering.

**…**

Little Wolf and Fox and thrown into a separate brig than the others when the scientists finally finish with them. Fox curls into his sister's side and they blink wearily, their tiny bodies shaking ever so slightly from blood loss and the sickness that was injected into their systems.

Fox falls asleep quickly. Little Wolf, however, remains awake. Her lungs pull in and push out oxygen gently as she watches the man pacing the hallway outside their cell. Despite their brief reprieve, Marcus would only demand more and more from them within the coming hours.

Where was John? Why isn't he here yet?

Wasn't he coming to save them?

**…**

"So, what do you think, Spock? Sound like a good plan?"

"Negative, Captain, however , I have yet to hear you propose a plan that could be defined as "good"…logically speaking it is possible, though there is an extremely low possibility of success."

"Well, that's good enough for me. Get suited up and tell Khan to do the same. We're leaving as soon as humanly possible."

"But what will happen after we have liberated the children—assuming the attempt does in fact work? How do you propose we get Khan back into his cell?"

"Well, what about tranquilizers?"

"They would work for a short amount of time, but, unfortunately, would not be a viable option since our intended destination is very far—"

"You know what? It doesn't matter, okay. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"That does not seem like a 'good plan' of action, Captain."

"Spock, I'm going to strangle you. Just get suited up; we'll work on the specifics some other time, alright?"

Spock blinks in mild irritation: "Yes, Captain."

**…**

"You plan to do what?" Khan frowned in disapproval at the young captain and then looked at Spock. "Captain, that is completely idiotic. There is an incredibly low probability—"

"Oh, success—yeah, I know. Got over it. Just strap yourself in and shut up. The faster this is over, the faster I get your ass to Earth. So, shall we begin?"

"I am not going to grace that with a response." Khan huffed and put on his seatbelt.

"What? Why? It sounded cool!"

"Let's just get this over with, Captain. Are you driving or should I?" Khan groaned inwardly. Off all the people in the universe he could be stuck with now, and the Fates put him with this imbecile? He may as well count the children among the dead now—there was certainly no chance of _any_ of them coming out alive!

"I am," Spock jumped in before Kirk could begin to argue with Khan. The last thing they needed at that time was for Khan to start strangling Kirk before the mission could even commence. "I trust you both are properly secured to your seats?"

Both men glared at the Vulcan; wordlessly, Spock glided their small ship into space and steered them towards Marcus's last known trajectory.

"Khan," Spock said and the Augment glanced at the Vulcan briefly before turning back to study the starts, "Do you have idea as to where the Admiral intends to go?"

"No."

"Well, looks like we're off to a great start already," Kirk said under his breath and Khan shot him a glare.

"Initiating Warp," Spock said before either of the two could speak.

**…**

The cell doors swished open.

"Go, Fox! Go!"

Fox rushed past the guards and raced through the colliders. Surprised shouts followed him but the boy refused to slow. He zigzagged wildly around reaching hands and disappeared around the next bend. Marcus snarled with frustration.

"I want that boy found and I want it done yesterday!" Marcus howled. His angry grey eyes caught onto a smiling Little Wolf. The girl took one look at Marcus's expression and her face went blank instantly. "Well, then, little girl. It would seem that you're going to be getting both you're as well as your brother's experiments today. Isn't that just swell?" He marched into the room and snatched her up by her long, dark brown hair and dragged her out into the hallway.

"Let me go!" Little Wolf yelled. "Let me go, right now!"

Marcus shoved her into a clear room and watched as green smoke slowly filled the room. She began to slam the palms of her hands into the glass but the glass refused to budge beneath her frantic movements. It was getting hard to breath. Why did he put her in here? He had to know that it would be hard to breathe! At least Fox wasn't in there.

"Or you'll what, exactly? Hm?" A corner of his lips curled upwards. "Looks like you're just like your good-for-nothing father. I can't wait until the vivisections begin."

**…**

Fox rushed around another corner before popping off an air ventilation vent and crawling inside. He pulled the vent back on and then crawled quickly away. All he needed to do was find the communications room—whatever that was. Then he needed to send a message to his dad and he'd come to save them!

_…__But which way was it?_

He frowned. Voice sounded in the hallway nearby and he began to move again. It didn't matter where the communications room was; right now, he needed to put some room between him and the bad men. If they caught him, Fox shuddered. Well, it wouldn't be good. Not good at all.

**…**

"Spock, where is the ship?" Kirk asked.

"I am unsure, Captain. I have followed their previous projector, but they must have changed course. Nothing is showing up on the scanners. Khan, are you positive that you do not know where they could have—"

"Positive." Khan glared at the blackness around them. "Are there any Section 31 bases in the area? Or secret Starfleet facilities?"

Spock thought for a moment. "It is highly unlikely given the remoteness of our location. Does this area have any sense of familiarity or significance to you?"

"No."

"Has Marcus ever taken you out in this direction before to a facility of some sort whether it be a holding facility or a place to manufacture weapons or ships?"

Khan scowled at Spock, who impassively back at him: "No, Spock. This area is new to me. I've never been out here or seen it mentioned in any of the reports."

"Well, this is going fantastically," Kirk said sarcastically. "Why do these kids matter so much to you anyway? They're not Augments or members of your frozen crew? Why do you care? What's it matter to you if they die early?"

"My children." Khan said softly, looking Khan right in the eyes. "My children are with the others. Despite what I have done, they should not be punished. They were conceived long before…I did what I did."

Kirk's mind went blank before suddenly exploding from shock: "Wait…you have kids?"

Khan's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes?"

"Like…real kids?"

"…Yes?"

"Living, breathing children? Children that actually share your DNA?"

"Captain," Khan allowed his impatience to seep into his voice, "it is not a difficult concept. Sometimes when a men is with a women, children are conceived—surely they taught you this at some point during your educational experience?"

"Well, yeah, but…I mean…" Kirk sputtered.

Kids? Augments could reproduce? When did this happen? People always said they were sterile! Crap! They'll put Khan behind bars and then have to wonder if his spawn will become just like him! Kids! What in the world? Why did no one warn him about this? He would have had them all in the brig!

"Gentlemen," Spock said quickly. "Perhaps, it would be best if we were to locate said children, first?"

"But, Spock!"

"Captain, it is my understanding that their wellbeing's', if not their lives, are in jeopardy. This conversation would be better suited to when we have retrieved the children and Khan is placed back into the confines of the modified brig. For now, however, we must focus our efforts on locating our subjects and bringing them back to our ship before too much damage has been wrought." Spock turned to Khan. "Tell me everything that you know about the Section 31 bases: their procedures, regulations, locations.


End file.
